Marionette Arc
by InfinitNei
Summary: ((2015)) All those lost on Tenrou Island have returned, reuniting Neirah with the brother she loves so dearly. She had no idea their bond would be put to the ultimate test shortly after her father decided to come back into her life. Curious about her past & desperate for answers the dark guild Marionette holds, she follows; putting she and her fellow dragon slayers in grave danger.
1. Guilded Hearts

_._

* * *

 _._

 _The day was bright and beautiful with a clear sky; not a whisper from the wind in the air. She turned her head away. The unfortunate curl of her lips was melancholy as a result of her weighted heartbreaking beneath her hooded cloak. She could hear the bickering of her friends as they raised the once settled dust from the ground around her, opportunity knocking purposefully against the walls of her chest with her racing heartbeat. "Do me a favour and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone?" She whispered gently to the ice wizard by her side._

 _._

 _Gray couldn't retain his laugh through his utter disbelief, ignorant of the sadness that filled his young new friend. "Yea right. Why don't you just ask me to stop the sun from coming out? It'd be easier."_

 _._

 _"Yea, I guess that was a bit much, huh?" The obvious catch in Neirah's trembling voice caught his attention as her resolve shook and showed her weakness. She slowly started to walk away when Gray's voice stopped her, if for only a moment._

 _._

 _"You know, you could keep an eye on him yourself if you stuck around."_

 _._

 _After a long silence passed between them, she let a crooked grin curl her lips as she tried to conceal her dismay. Lashes fluttered over glistening diamond eyes and her heart skipped one of its hard thumps against her aching chest. "If that was your way of inviting me to hang with you guys, it was a lousy effort." She teased bashfully, despite the appeal of his offer._

 _._

 _Gray closed his eyes and turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets with a crooked smile. "You see right through me, don't you?"_

 _._

 _She laughed softly to herself and tried to keep the contented gesture from turning ugly with her fear. "Like a great big ice cube." She finished before taking her first step away, trying her hardest not to let her emotions overwhelm her._

 _._

 _"Hey get back here Gajeel! I'm not done wi-" Natsu's challenge was cut short when he caught sight of their retreating friend, realisation at hand._

 _._

 _"Hey, Shadow!" Gajeel stood and watched the back of Neirah's cloak tremble from behind, his expression displaying the subtlest hints of his pain through his usually rough exterior. He wrinkled his nose and let the defiance return as he turned it up. "Just what did I say about leavin' without sayin' goodbye, huh? We need to go over this with fists aga-" His statement was made brief when Neirah's tear stained face whirled around to face him, her hood falling from where it was tipped over her brow to let teardrops scatter around her and dampen her cloak. "Damn… Still ain't used to it." Neirah forced a smile on her lips, eyes shining with her affection as she ran back towards them and leapt into his arms; clinging to him tightly in her display of uncertainty._

 _._

 _"I'm sorry." She started hurriedly in a trembling voice. "I know you don't like it when I'm mushy like this but…" Gajeel denied his expression as he interrupted the child, his arms finding her small figure._

 _._

 _"Just shut up…"_

 _._

 _She flinched against him, her startled gasp parting her lips. But before she could back herself away in observance, his clutch on her tightened and kept her still against him._

 _._

 _"_ _You little nightmare..." He rested his head against the top of hers and smiled despite her devastated disposition, knowing entirely that she derived her strength from his. "Don't go worrying about me." He muttered roughly. "You do… what… you gotta do…"_

 _._

 _Natsu flinched and stepped to Gray's side, intrigue twisting his features._ _"_ _Whoa, is it just me or's the big guy crackin'?"_

 _._

 _"Come on dude, that's like his kid sister." Gray scolded quietly. "After all she's been through, it only makes sense he's worried about her goin' off on 'er own."_

 _._

 _Neirah wiped her tears away when she had finally been released and tried to hide her pouty, trembling lip as she backed away from him. "If… if you stay with Fairy Tail; I'll know where to find you when I come back." She managed softly with hope in her heart. Gajeel snorted softly in disgust as he slowly slipped her hood back over her head._

 _._

 _"Well, I wouldn't go countin' on that…" He teased. "So don't take too long!"_

 _._

 _Natsu laughed and threw his arm around Gray and Gajeel, a wide smile on his face as the others struggled to escape him when he tugged them together._ _"_ _What do ya mean!? Of course you're gonna be here! We're like family now!" Neirah's breath caught for a moment as she observed the optimism Natsu offered her, her ears trying not to interrupt him with the sound of defiant curses from the unwilling parties involved. "You just come right on back here when you're done, ok?" Natsu winked, a thumbs-up displayed in her direction._

 _._

 _Neirah's expression warmed and she nodded her head sharply in agreement, shaking the last of her tears free._ _"_ _You bet, Natsu!" On her passing glance, Gray's warmed and he stopped fighting Natsu's grasp. She didn't look back at them again as she turned to begin her journey; full of confidence in every step._

 _._

 _'Yea, she'll be fine.' When Gray turned to try and wriggle his way free of Natsu's hold, he came nose to nose with an irritated Gajeel noticing that, although with pure intention, his gaze may have lingered just a moment too long._

 _._

 _"I saw what you did there, ice boy."_

 _._

 _Gray stilled, without the means to recoil. "Ehn, I don't know what you're talking about!"_

 _._

 _"Kerb it!"_

 _._

 _Natsu backed away when Gajeel threw the first punch and dust raised at his feet once more. "Oh yea! Now I can clobber you both at the same time!" He roared, jumping into the fray._

 _._

 _"Keep your freakin' paws to yourself!" Gajeel demanded furiously._

 _._

 _"We're fighting! How the heck am I supposed to do that!?" Gray defended._

 _._

 _"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!"_

 _._

 _"Dude, it's totally not like that! She's just a freaking kid!"_

 _._

 _"Well, how about this!" Natsu added with exhilaration._

 _._

 _"Hey! Who's side are you on!?" Gray whined, narrowly avoiding devastation on both sides._

 _._

 _Neirah wiped her final tears away as she watched the three bicker like brothers from afar. "A family, huh?" She whispered softly, turning into the wind upon her retreat._

 _._

* * *

.  
The wind whistled on the mountainside as she stared out over the forest beneath, her heart heavier than it had been the day she left. Her long auburn hair kissed her cheeks as it danced freely alongside her tear stained face, diamond tears gleaming starlight as they fell like glitter to the rock at her feet. 'It's been… over seven years since that day…' Her narrowly exposed gaze trembled despite the stillness of her remaining features; her cheeks relaxed and her lips tightly pursed. 'Every year, I mature… but these tears still fall like they did on the first day I learned.' Thick lashes fell heavily over her eyes and forced gentle streams over her flushed cheeks. "I-I came back…" She whimpered sadly, her voice trembling with agony. "But you weren't here…" She lifted her fingers to her neck and pressed the heavy material of her cloak back away from where a familiar emblem was displayed on her chest. She slid her fingertips over the ebony lines of Fairy Tail's guild marking her skin just above her heart. "Gajeel…"

.  
 _.  
_ **Guilded** **Hearts**

.

.

The sun started to sink like her heart past the mountain's ridge in the west, reminding her that she was on her way back to the guild she had joined shortly after her brother's disappearance. Her fingers trembled as she gripped at her chest, almost as if she hoped that if she held onto Fairy Tail's mark tightly enough, it would bring her family home.

 _._

* * *

 _.  
"You wear that mark like it means something..." Neirah whispered softly. Gray stared forwards into the debris of their battle, helpless to do much more than listen to what she was saying as she laid her hand against the guild mark on his chest. "This mark, it doesn't mean a thing."_

 _._

 _His gaze flashed defiantly as he took a hold of her hand and tried to figure out a way of getting her away from him; helpless to block her attack if she chose to offer one. "You're wrong." He winced in pain with his own defiance and watched the shadows pass through him before she had materialised in front of his wounded body. Without her support, he dropped to his knees at her feet. "Fairy Tail is our home. To some of us, it's the only one we've got." He coughed out weakly, his heart breaking for the insult she'd offered him. "You have no idea how it felt to watch it be destroyed the first time. I'll die before I let that happen again."_

 _._

 _Neirah offered him a sympathetic smile as he clutched the mark on his chest, deriving power to argue with her from its presence. "You're still under the impression that those are my intentions." She managed softly. He kept his gaze locked with hers as she fell to her knees before him, a soft and reassuring smile on her lips. "But despite that fact, that brand doesn't even begin to show the depth of your allegiance. It runs so much deeper." He flinched when she slowly raised her hand, only to rest it just to the left of his guild mark. "You keep that here; your friends in the guild, and ones not exclusive to Fairy Tail." Gray's heart sank with the pain of Ur's sacrifice on Galuna Island still fresh in his mind. "This is what truly makes you strong, what truly helps you protect the ones you love." He raised his hand to meet hers, his gaze dropping to the ground between them; pain filling his expression. "Don't exclude those who helped make you strong by associating strictly with Fairy Tail. You're strength relies just as much on Ur's teachings as it does on your guild family."_

 _._

 _Time stilled when he lifted his gaze sharply to where his eyes met hers. "How do you know about-?!" Without breaking their locked gazes, she drew her hand away from his chest and rested it against her heart; her lips curling slightly to one side._

 _._

 _"I don't have to be marked by a guild to protect the ones I care about. Our marks are in here, not on our skin. Some of our friends do bad things, but that doesn't make us love them any less..."_

 _._

 _Gray's eyes widened as flashbacks stole his next moment. 'Lyon...'_

 _._

 _"I'm sorry that Gajeel hurt your friends, and destroyed your guild, but I had nothing to do with that." Finally, she let her hand fall, looking back at him with soft eyes as the last of the sun's rays cast upon the debris of their battle._

 _._

 _"Gray! Are you alright!?" Lucy called out as they ran through the debris towards where he sat with the mysterious child. "Oh no! That's her!"_

 _._

 _Neirah gasped and climbed to her feet, offering him a hand. "I swear on my life that I'm not your enemy Gray, but I can't promise that I'll always be your friend." He accepted her gesture and staggered to his feet, completely ignoring that Erza, Natsu and Lucy were nearing where they stood._

 _._

 _"That's fair." He murmured softly. "You know, you've risked a lot; saved me once, spared me twice." She turned her head to face him, a hopeful gleam in her eyes as she prepared her retreat. "I think I owe you a piece of this too." He lifted his fist and drove it into his chest just above his heart. "And one day maybe you'll understand what it means to be a part of a guild."_

 _._

 _She lifted her fingers to her own heart as she started to fade into the day's dying breath, the shadows stretching out at their feet. "If I ever join a guild, this is where I want it. Right here… above my heart…"_

 _._

 _Finally, all that remained of her presence was her shadow on the ground cast by her evasive magic as he turned to face the concern of his friends. "Sounds like a swell choice to me."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

His words echoed hollowly in her mind as she clenched her balled fist against her chest. "I understand now..." She whispered lightly, a delicate crack in her voice. 'Yet I don't even want to return.' Images of the decrepit remnants of Fairy Tail's guild flashed through her mind, cracking the already fragile remains of her resolve further. 'My heart gets so heavy around this time. And poor Romeo…' She sighed and let her hand fall away from the dark lines that bonded her to a family she'd lost. 'He's down enough as it is… They all are…' She lifted both hands to rest on her face as she inhaled deeply the scent of the crisp mountain air. Then, slowly, she raked her tears from her face in one decisive stroke. 'But perhaps that is why I need to return to them.' She turned away from the setting sun with a soft sigh. 'We all cry tears over the same loss. We're wounded, but we're still family… if only smaller than before.' She forced a soft smile to the soil she approached on the mountainside, the forest growing nearer as she stepped towards it.

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Hey Macao? I got someone here who wants to see you." Thrusting his mug against the bar, Macao turned to face Wakaba with a bitter snort._

.

 _"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Mast-" Macao's heart sank when the tear-stained features of a young, tight-lipped girl were ushered towards him. "Wait, I-I know you."_

 _._

 _"Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if I could have you put a guild rumour to rest." She started formally, the streaks of dried tears on her face only a shadow of the pain she tried to conceal._

 _._

 _"O-of course." He stammered out uncertainly. "What can I do for you?" He watched her lips start to tremble as her suppressed emotions rose._

 _._

 _"I heard that a sacred island known as Tenrou has vanished from the ocean." She started softly, the crack in her voice over the subject attracting the attention of other remaining guild members upon mentioning the mysterious island. She tried to keep her peripherals from meeting their devastated gazes as she drew painful memories forward. "I… I also heard that some of the guild's wizards were… were on the island when this occurred." Macao finally diverted his gaze to hide his pain from the begging eyes of the youth. Neirah's body started to tremble despite her strong efforts to keep herself from breaking. "I-I see… So it's true." The simple nod that Macao offered her served as the key to her hearts prison and when she hit her knees, it shattered._

 _._

 _"I'm afraid… it is." Macao flinched as Romeo stood from the table and sprinted out of the guild hall as fast as he could with tears in his eyes. "Romeo!" He was quickly drawn back to the girl at his feet, silently staining the floor with her tears._

 _._

 _"I'm sorry, but you have made a mistake…" He stilled hopefully as the girl spoke with all eyes drawn to her in expectation. A long silence passed before she continued. "M-my… my b-brother… h-he… h-he was on... on the island… w-when…" Blubbering like an idiot, Neirah drew her forearm to her face, teeth bared in denial. "H-he can't be gone… H-he s-said… he said he'd wait here for me… u-until I got back…" She flinched when she felt Macao's arm come around her, holding her steady as she cried._

 _._

 _"I don't know which one was your brother, but I'm sorry for your loss all the same." His voice cracked despite the will he drew forward to keep his personal emotions at bay._

 _._

 _"He… b-but he said…" She looked around the guild to where the others had already started shedding fresh tears of their own, the pain of the loss still scarring the emptying halls. "H-he said he'd wai-" She threw her damp face against Macao's chest and cried with all she had until she was sure she'd drown them all._

 _._

 _"I'm so sorry… I wish there was something I could do to help. But I'm afrai-"_

 _._

 _"I want… to join Fairy Tail." Still and startled expressions filled the hall with the girl's request and Macao was forced to back away from her to check her expression for seriousness. The girl was young, and recently, the only person who had shown interest in joining their guild since it's reputation started to plummet. She looked back at him with soft diamond eyes, trembling with pain and certainty. "The only family I had believed in this guild. If he stayed until the end… he must have… He must have…" She whispered softly. "I have nowhere else… to go… Please… I want…" She tipped her head back, spilling tears around her as she wailed her plea to the members openly. "I want to join Fairy Tail!"_

 _._

* * *

.  
'They took me in, and shared my pain…' She raised her gaze proudly and hardened her heart. 'I won't let them dow-' Her once gentle gaze hardened alertly when she was intrigued by the sudden rise in the wind. She inhaled a faintly familiar scent and turned her head to the tree line where it was emerging. Pupils narrowed when the soft gasp met her lips and her pack of belongings hit the ground beside her as she watched a tall man stride towards her with a denied expression void of connection to his surroundings. Her jaw gaped ever so slightly as she watched him approach, his hands thrust deep in his pockets. 'It's him.' Flashbacks found her already troubled mind and made her hand tremble at her side.

 _.  
_ "Hm?" She flinched, catching her breath when he finally took notice of her shadow stretching out towards him with the setting sun at her back. He turned his head away with a gentle scoff. "My bad. Didn't think anyone was here."

 _._

She reached out towards him as he walked away, but her lips refused to part. 'No… it couldn't be him… He looked just the same all those years ago.' She held her hand tight against her chest for a long moment of contemplation. 'A younger brother… perhaps? No, he's unmistakable...' Her expression darkened with the race in her heart as it thundered in her ears. "I-" She forced her body still from where it had trembled uncertainly in order to take a step towards her visitor. "E-excuse me, sir?!" She shouted after him in panic, afraid that she would lose the chance that she desperately needed for answers. She stilled when he paused mid-step in acknowledgement of her call.

 _._

"Sir… Now there's one I haven't heard."

.

Her heart stopped when he finally turned and offered her an indirect gaze over his partially turned shoulder. Her words were lost for a long moment of reminiscence, a familiar apparition stealing her certainty in his place before she finally gained the courage to approach him through the haze of her recollection. 'What is this weight on my chest? Hope?' Her steps were steady as they carried her forwards, her silver gaze locked with the cold, detached steel of his. 'Ryverika... What are you trying to tell me?' She stilled a few steps away from him and gazed up into his collected features, slowly working up the nerve to indirectly interrogate him. "May I inquire as to what has brought you so far out?" Responses were delayed for a moment as each searched their memories for ghosted figures no more than shadows lurking in their subconscious.

 _._

"Tch, I could ask you the same question. Got a thing for sunsets?"

.  
She wrinkled her nose softly with his avoidance of her question. "Do you?"

.  
He tipped his head back and glowered at her for a moment with her suggestion before he turned away with a disgruntled snort. "Look, I don't have time to play head games with you." He replied shortly.

.

Neirah's eyes widened in reminiscence.

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Look, I don't have time to play games with you, kid, now scram!"_

 _._

* * *

.  
"It is you…" She whispered softly.

 _._

Catching the sound on the wind, he was forced to turn on his heels and examine her more closely now that the sun had passed the brightest break of twilight. The glow of its presence was still warm, but she had come more clearly into view. "What was that?" He pried. In the moment she opened her eyes and stared back at him unwaveringly, the shadow from his memory lifted. He choked back a hard breath, eyes widening as the wind whistled by them just strong enough to lift her cloak from her chest; exposing the Fairy Tail crest above her heart. "You're… the kid from the church." He let the recollection wash over him and tried not to waver in his comparisons. 'But she said she wasn't a Fairy Tail wizard that day.'

 _._

"A kid, you say." She whispered softly, closing her eyes as her thoughts ran wild. "At the time, seven years ago, I was." He stilled when she opened her cool silver gaze and glared back at him suspiciously. "I've changed, though, haven't I? Since that day in Magnolia's Cardia Cathedral…" He remained unresponsive as she continued. "But you… haven't."

 _._

His expression faltered, causing him to divert his gaze. "Yea." He agreed distantly. "About that..." His breath caught when he turned back to face her only to see the day's dying light catching the droplets that spilt from her downcast features.

 _._

"I-it can't be a coincidence…" She whispered weakly, tipping her pained gaze back to where it observed his collected demeanour. "Please… tell me… Are you a Fairy Tail wizard…?" She watched the immediate drop in his gaze as the pain ripped through his being, but only Fairy Tail wizards were supposed to grace Tenrou Island. She had to know.

.  
Finally, he diverted his gaze with a snort of derision. "Don't think I didn't notice your mark. Why would you ask me if I'm a part of your guild when you obviously haven't see me hanging around there."

 _._

"Because… I know you. Even if you've forgotten me..." She admitted weakly. She took another step towards him and tipped her head back so that she could meet his gaze head on, a serious expression on her pained features. "Seven years ago, tragedy struck the Fairy Tail guild." She started, carefully monitoring his expression as she continued. "I lost my brother in an incident that claimed Tenrou Island."

 _._

'Brother?!' His gaze faltered as he scanned the Tenrou team to try and find a resemblance to anyone who may share the same blood as her.

.

"Not long before that, I met a man in the cathedral who looked just like you aged to the day. And he was a Fairy Tail wizard accusing me of being as such as well!" She raised her voice as she grasped desperately at the straws spelling hope for her missing friends. "So please, if you have a connection to the events that took my brother away from me… I beg of you to share any information you hold." She closed her eyes and shook fresh tears from her face. "In body or spirit…" She drew one hand to her chest and the other to her face where she covered her trembling lips. "Even if I could just see him… one last time..." A soft, startled cry met her lips as he reached out and took her hand in his. She watched him carefully as he lifted her hand and pressed it against the palm of his second one.

 _._

"I'm not dead." He assured her sternly, locking gazes with hers. "And I'm not a Fairy Tail wizard." He watched her eyes fill with tears as the shreds of her resolve shattered before him and before he knew it, she had hit her knees and cried out to the silent air around them. He waited a moment longer for her whimpers to quiet a bit before he diverted his gaze and continued. "But I was on… Tenrou Island seven years ago."  
 _._  
Neirah trembled against the ground, her eyes wide and vacant as she stared into the rock before her. Her breaths didn't seem to catch up to her heart as it raced and filled with warmth that she never thought she'd feel again _. "I'm not dead… but I was on Tenrou Island seven years ago."_ He stuffed his hands back into his pockets and kicked a stone over at his feet. "I'll give you the tall and the short. Everyone on the island made it back to the guild recently. But with the events that took place, it seems we were stuck there for a long time." Neirah turned her gaze back to where he stood a short distance from her. "To us, it seemed like a day." Her blood chilled as he turned and looked down on her once more. "To everyone else, I guess it's been seven years." She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, the most grateful of smiles on her lips. "If you had a brother in Fairy Tail, I'm sure he's back at the guild right now waiting for you."

.

"Thank you, Laxus…" She squeaked pitifully. His expression softened a moment before he turned away and let it harden once more.

 _._

"Yea, don't mention i-" He turned his head, eyes widening with the eerie sensations chilling his skin. "Wait, what did you say?" He inquired humbly, startled to hear his name on a stranger's lips.

 _._

"You are Laxus, aren't you?" She mused with a soft smile. "I could call you something else if you'd prefer." She teased lightheartedly, her spirits visibly lifted.

 _._

"Yea- I mean no. Well, I'm him, but… I'm kind of curious as to how you knew that. I don't exactly recall introductions bein' given back at the cathedral." She slowly climbed to her feet and brushed herself off, her eyes finally drying as she expelled a languid sigh and smiled back at him.

 _._

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now…" She murmured softly with a gentle laugh. "I may not have joined the guild when it was in its prime, but there isn't a single one of us that doesn't know who you are." Laxus scoffed lightly before swiftly drawing his hands from where they rested in his pockets, spreading them broadly open before her.

 _._

"Go on then, take a good one because that's all you're gonna get." He demanded bitterly. Neirah watched him uncertainly as she processed his request. Guilt flooded her with her ignorance and her heart ached for the pain she didn't mean to surface. "Don't think I don't know what this is about." He closed his eyes and dropped his guard. "I'm sure you're all just itchin' to-" The last thing he had expected was the feeling of her soft lips pressed against his cheek in a slow, gentle kiss.

 _._

"Thanks again..." She whispered affectionately. By the time his eyes had flown open to check reality, she was gone; not even a shadow on the ground. His brow furrowed in search as he lifted his hand to where she had kissed him a moment before.

 _._

"What the hell was that all about?"  
.

* * *

.  
Another day had the guild hall filled with idle chatter as spirits started to lift. A lot of things had changed in seven years; but to those with nothing but the guild to call family, it was like waking from an extended nightmare. "You've been awfully quiet since we got back, Gajeel." With a soft grunt of acknowledgement, Gajeel tipped his gaze to where Pantherlily sought to pry from where he had been resting against the table.

 _._

"Time lag's screwin' with me." He fibbed, rolling his head to the other side.

 _._

"Oh come on! Don't give me that!"

 _._

"Look! I'm just tired ok!?" Lily flinched as Gajeel climbed to his feet and started to head towards the guild hall doors.

 _._

"How strange..." He muttered sadly. "Was it something I said?"

 _._

"Don't worry about him…" Pantherlily tipped his gaze back to view Gray as he joined him at his side. "He left someone on the outside when we left for Tenrou Island." Lily's eyes widened in Gray's direction before he immediately cast his gaze to Gajeel's back.

 _._

"Shadow..." Juvia mewled with a soft gasp, her gaze solemn in thought. "He must be worried sick over her."

 _._

"A woman?"

.  
Gray smiled weakly at Lily's inquiry. "Well, she was just a kid last time we saw her. It was before all that crap in Edolas." Gray explained. "I was there last time he was with her. We told her that when she was ready, we'd be right here waiting for her so she could find us." Lily's heart sank as he watched Gajeel pause mid-step, obviously privy to their conversation. "That was seven years ago."

 _._

"Now you know…" He rumbled darkly, staring at the floor for a long moment. In a flash, he had spun around and thrown his fist into the air with his threat. "So I don't wanna hear about it again, you got that!?" He roared furiously, forcing back the pain of uncertainty weighing him down.

 _._

"Yea, whatever dude." Gray defended. "I just didn't want to leave him in the dark that's al- Huh?" The guild grew silent as the doors creaked open, a dark figure shadowed by the presence of the setting sun at their back standing before them. Gajeel turned his head to view the silhouette, the faintest of familiarities catching his senses as the drift on the breeze carried an unmistakably familiar scent.

 _._

"Oh yea! That's right!" Macao started clumsily through his broad smile. "She's not around much so I ah kind of forgot to let you guys know that we had a new recruit since you left. Only one too!" Gajeel's breath caught as the entirety of the guild turned their heads to observe the hooded figure as she stepped into the doorway.

 _._

"Man, that's cold, Macao. Poor thing was really bent on this too." Wakaba scolded.

 _._

"Hey! That's Master Macao to you!"

 _._

"Gajeel, are you alright?" Lily insisted, taking a step towards him. His attention was quickly drawn back to Gray as he offered the shadow a similar reaction. The room grew eerily still as the breeze rustled the cloak of the woman who raised her hands to the catch that bound it. When she undid the button, letting the material sag against her shoulders, her guild mark was exposed to them.  
 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _If I ever join a guild, this is where I want it." Gray turned to face her, a breathless part in his lips. "Right here… above my heart…"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

Gray's breath caught with the realisation that struck him. 'It's her…'

 _._

Time stilled for a long moment as Neirah slipped her hood away from where her head was dropped and gaze denied to prying eyes. "You know… I seem to have uh misplaced your name kiddo, my bad." Macao apologised awkwardly, throwing one hand back behind his head.

 _._

"Oh man come on!" Wakaba wailed.

 _._

"Hey! We don't use it often so it's easy to misplace!" He defended, turning to Mirajane begging forgiveness. "Most people just call her Shadow."

 _._

Gajeel's hands started to tremble at his sides and to try to hide the sensation he clenched his fist with the force of his pain. "Shads…?"

 _._

Hearing her name on his lips let the first of her desperately denied tears fall to the ground at her feet. 'Why? Why am I so afraid to look at them… after all this time?' She whimpered softly in the doorway, her head dropped and presence on display to everyone she ever cared about.  
 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"You got a place to say, kid?" Gajeel asked casually, knowing full well that the girl was carrying all of her belongings in a sack over her shoulder._

 _._

 _"I'm sure I'll find one." She assured him softly, the words soft on her lips._

 _._

 _"Yea, I'm offering one." He muttered slightly in agitation. "You're not so good with hints are you."_

 _._

 _Neirah's lips curled into the slightest of smiles. "I'm not so good with people..."_

 _._

* * *

.  
She couldn't stop the heavy flow of tears as they cascaded over the swells of her flushing cheeks. "Seven years…" She squeaked gently, breaking the silence of the hall.  
 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"Who's that?"_

 _._

 _"It's you silly." Gajeel eyed the sketch suspiciously as the pencil traced lines that he was certain weren't his own._

 _._

 _"You sure as hell have some high expectations of me..." He teased in a monotone manner, throwing his hands back behind his head as he diverted his gaze. He flinched when he heard a breathless choke come from his side. Concern flashed on his features as he turned to face her, only to be surprised with another stifled giggle. He watched her carefully for a moment as the lines on her face curled, displaying a broad smile. Moments after, the room filled with her uncontainable giggles. He watched her for a moment before she finally opened her eyes to see him staring at her dumbfounded._

 _._

 _"W-what?" She asked softly, concern crossing her flushing features._

 _._

 _"I've just, never heard you laugh before."_

 _._

 _Her gaze dropped in recollection for a moment. "I can't remember the last time I laughed..." She tipped her flushing gaze back to his where he smiled back at her._

 _._

 _"It's kind of cute; you should try it more often."_

 _._

* * *

.  
She choked hard on her restrained emotions as she shook her head slowly from side to side. "I missed you… so much…" She whimpered shrilly, clenching her fists at her side. Observing the obvious tension growing between Neirah and Gajeel, Macao spit out his drink in Wakaba's face.

.

 _"_ _Wait just a minute!"_ Macao demanded, slamming his mug and letting his jaw gape.

.

"Hey! What's the bi-" Wakaba joined Macao in observing the delighted and grateful twist in the girl's smile. So before Wakaba could complain about Macao's assault, the two simultaneously shouted their surprise.

 _._

"No way! Her brother is-?!"

 _._

Neirah threw her head back and looked upon the plentiful faces of guild members that had returned from Tenrou Island just like Laxus had told her. "Gajeel!" She wailed, taking off through the guild towards where she laid eyes on the only family she'd ever known. Relief had him paralysed and he couldn't get in a single word before she had thrown herself at him with a delighted scream of emotional release, dropping them both onto the floor. He stared forwards for a long moment out the doorway before the moment finally crashed into him; encouraging him to return her embrace. He couldn't even comprehend the old fear he had of holding her too tightly when he finally let himself believe that she was really in his arms, her tears of joy dampening his shirt as the familiar warmth of her scent filled him.

 _._

"I am so happy for them…" Juvia cooed softly, dabbing tears from her eyes. "Shadow really loves him…"

 _._

"I thought I was too late." She whimpered desperately. "I thought you were all dead." She shook her head back and forth against him, unable to contain her happiness.

 _._

"I promised you you'd find me here so don't be such a cry baby." He scolded. "Nothin' was gonna stop me from makin' good on my word." Neirah finally drew in a deep breath and worked up the courage to back away from him and look him in the eye. As she expected, she could see the weight of seven years of missed memories weighing in his gaze. She was startled a bit when he lifted a hand to her face in order to wipe away tears that still fell from glossy eyes. "Little nightmare…" He scolded, raising his hand to drop it flat on her head. "Next time you even THINK about ditchin' me I'll hunt you down and drag you back here by your damn hair."

.

The guild paled and toppled on its side.

 _._

"And the moment's ruined." Gray muttered dismally. To his surprise, Neirah simply lifted her hands to her hair and gathered it behind her head. She slipped the elastic from around one wrist, where it lingered next to her silver Fairy Tail braclet, and bound a high ponytail on the top of her head. She tilted her head to one side, a delighted smile on her flushing features.

 _._

"This will make that easier." She mused softly, listening to the hum of chatter return around them.

 _._

"Jeez! She's just as bad as he is!" Gray exclaimed in disbelief.

 _._

"Holy crap is that Shads!?" Neirah whirled around to face more familiar faces as they entered the guild behind her.

 _._

Lucy gasped and threw her hands against her lips in disbelief, stopping mid-step to observe her as she climbed to her feet. "That's right!" Lucy stated softly from behind her fingers. "Neirah wasn't here when we left for Tenrou Island!" She gasped and threw her hands down to her sides. "NATSU!"

 _._

Neirah watched him suspiciously as he circled her with a predatory gaze. "Man Shads, you're not so little anymore." She flinched when he pointed a finger towards her chest. "HEY! And you finally got-" Natsu cried out in pain as he was smashed back through the doorway by a furious iron dragon.

 _._

"You watch your paws Salamander before I saw em' off!" Gajeel roared in defence of his newly, and excellently, endowed little sister.

 _._

Natsu leapt to his feet and charged back through the guild doors to shake his fist back at Gajeel. "What's the big idea?! I was just gonna say she finally got her guild mark!"

 _._

"Nice try!" Gajeel snapped back feverishly, charging towards a flame spitting Natsu.

 _._

"Oh boy…" Lucy murmured softly, joining a confused Neirah's side. "Some things change over the years but then… some things always stay the same."

 _._

"You got that right." Gray murmured unenthusiastically. "Anything for a fight."

 _._

Tears glistened in Neirah's eyes as they rose, her heart racing with a happiness she'd never known. "It's true…" She whispered softly, holding her hand to her chest. "Seven years ago, I'd probably be right in there with them. But today... I'm just so..."

 _._

Lucy turned her gaze back to Neirah from where she was observing dust rise in the yard before smiling warmly and resting her hand on Neirah's arm. "It's good to be home." Lucy murmured softly, turning to head deeper into the guild. Tears rolled gently over Neirah cheeks as her smiled broadened, the grin twisting wickedly in bearing.

.

"Go get 'im, Screwball..."


	2. Show Me Shadow!

Meanwhile, in a place far more serene than that of the beach where Natsu and the others were training for the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail's newest wizard was training of her own accord. Atop the peaks of mountainous terrain just outside the forest, she deeply inhaled the cool, thin air that surrounded her. It would be hard for her to train with another simply because she herself didn't quite understand how the pressure of her elevation wasn't discomforting.

.

She stretched one hand in front of her as she leant forwards into what yoga enthusiasts would call a dancer pose, her other hand aiding one of her legs to straighten above her head. Peace shrouded her expression as her thoughts began to quiet, a dark magic circle placing itself beneath the tip of the toes that she had balancing on the highest point of the rocky peak. 'I've clung too closely to the power of others and left myself vulnerable. With the value I place on their lives, I have intertwined my fate with theirs.' Delicate particles of loose debris slowly rose towards the sky as she expelled magical energy. Her soft gaze narrowly revealed cold diamond coloured irises as she took a final peek at the horizon before her meditation began. 'I cannot allow my life to become meaningless in the absence of others.'

.  
.

 **Show me Shadow!  
.**

.

.  
"You sure this is the right place?"  
.

Pantherlily folded his arms over his chest and dropped his head with an exasperated sigh, his eyes closed in meditative thought. "This is where Macao said she'd be. I don't understand why you have doubt in his word." Gajeel's narrowed gaze scanned the area dismally, the peaceful setting causing his lack of faith.  
.

"I know what he said but you don't know the kid. This just ain't her style." He defended impatiently. He took an uncertain step towards the mountainous peaks, reminiscence finding his weary steps. "If you knew her, you'd understand." He muttered distantly.

.

* * *

.

 _*"You will never defeat me! Bow to my will and I shall spare ye heathen!"  
._

 _Gajeel paused on his way past an angry sounding tree in the forest, staring at it for a long moment._ _"Talking trees huh? Well, that's it; I've seen it all now." He adjusted his bag over one shoulder. "Must be hunger and exhaustion tal- Gah!" He turned around and glared at the offending tree branch furiously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Crazy or not! You just crossed the line, pal!" He roared bitterly, shaking his fist at the leaves that gently slipped through the air. "Iron drago-" Gajeel flinched when a furious little girl came skidding to a halt across the path he was walking on, her long ponytail catching her nose upon swift passing. Their gazes met and lingered for an extended period of time before he spoke again. "Er... Shadow?"  
._

 _"Oh, hey Screwball! You're back!" He parted his lips to speak before she held a finger up in silence. "Hold on! Just let me finish this guy off! AHHHHH!" One long blink was followed by another as he watched her charge back behind the tree with an angry roar. After listening to her howling feverishly from behind the trunk of the tree for a moment, curiosity had him poking his head around to the other side.  
._

 _"Whatch'ya up to kiddo?" He rumbled quietly, observing her heatedly striking at the tree with a loud war cry.  
._

 _"I'm going to bring down this tree with my bare hands." She assured him determinedly. "Then I'm going to make a fort out of it! Then I'll use it as my base of operations to mug travellers for art supplies!" She offered him a broad and mischievous smile that had her expression darkened villainously with maniacal laughter. "Mwahaha! It will be the perfect scheme!"_

 _.  
He observed her for another long moment._ _"Yer kidding, right?"  
._

 _She stretched one hand back behind her head sheepishly with a soft blush. "Sure am. This is actually just my pathetic attempt at becoming stronger. Don't mind me. I can't be the little sister of the great iron dragon Screwball and be as weak as I am." She threw another punch with a pained hiss before she was raised off the ground by an unimpressed big brother. "Hey! Put me down!" She demanded, waving her little hands frantically as he hauled her off by the hood of her cape.  
._

 _"Yer a damn nightmare, kid..." He murmured dismally as they continued down the path. "You ain't strong enough to knock a tree over with nothin' but your hands." He shifted his gaze to one side in observance of her tantrum.  
._

 _"Well, one day I will be!" She wailed rebelliously. "And when I am, I'm gonna kick your sorry hide for this!"  
._

 _"Yea yea."  
._

 _"I'm serious!" She fumed, puffing her cheeks out into an adorable little pout.  
._

 _"Cut the squealing." He demanded while dropping her to the ground next to him. "Look, half-pint, I'll make you a deal. You stop pickin' on trees and I'll teach you a thing or two about kickin' hide. Deal?"  
._

 _A delighted smile crossed her features before she leapt up against his arm and clung to it._ _"Deal!" She cried gleefully.  
._

 _Gajeel waved his arm up and down a few times before he realised that she wasn't going to let it go. Finally, with an exhausted sigh, he rolled his eyes in defeat and let her climb onto his back._ _"You can walk, can't you?" He rumbled dismally.  
._

 _"Sure, but why would I do that when this is so much more fun?" She mused against his shoulder.  
._

 _"Fine you can stay this once, but just so we're square, a real fighter would trek it themselves."  
._

 _She wrinkled her nose with a distasteful smile._ _"Yea well when I become a real fighter like you, I'll walk everywhere!" She giggled softly and draped her arms down around his neck. "Deal?" He cast an indirect glance her way while simultaneously trying to conceal his amusement with her gesture.  
._

 _"Deal."*_

 _._

* * *

 _._

"Is everything alright, Gajeel?"  
.

"Hm?" He grunted in acknowledgement. Coming out of his memories, Gajeel cast an anxious Pantherlily a glance. "Yea." Lily plodded alongside him faithfully as they climbed towards the peaks Macao had informed them of.  
.

"I see. You could have fooled me." He teased nosily. "I sense that it may have something to do with this friend of yours from your past." He caught the slightest of falter in his companion's expression with the rise of the topic.  
.

"The kid used to be hell on wheels." He murmured quietly.  
.

"Yes, but in case you haven't noticed, she isn't a child anymore." He watched from one eye as Gajeel sighed and dropped his gaze.  
.

"Yea... I noticed." He started solemnly. "I feel like an idiot, but after all these years, I don't know what to say to her anymore."  
.

"Oh?"  
.

"She was always lookin' up to me like I was her big brother or somethin'." He paused and turned his head towards the centre of two rocky rises. "I guess I just don't wanna let her down."  
.

Lily smiled warmly moments before turning to face the same direction as Gajeel. "What is it now?"  
.

Gajeel's gaze narrowed suspiciously on the aura surrounding the cliff side. "Almost there, I think."  
.

After a few more paces towards their destination, Lily was freezing in his tracks. "Hu, do you feel that?!" He demanded in raised alarm. "There is an incredible amount of magical power emanating from this mountain!" He watched as Gajeel staggered a few steps ahead of him, dropping his bag of belongings to the ground with an empty thud. Lily took flight and caught up to his partner as quickly as he could, hovering nearby to survey the situation. "Gajeel! What is i- Incredible! What on earth is that!?" They watched the dark vortex of shadow magic climb towards the sky, the once stagnant wind around them whipping fiercely by upon their approach.  
.

"It's Shadow." Gajeel murmured distantly, catching the sight of her figure at the heart of the cyclone. Ebony markings clawed their way over her skin, emanating an eerie violet glow as they pulsed with magic power.  
.

"I had no idea the girl was this powerful!" Lily shouted over the whistle in the wind.  
.

"Yea, that makes two of us." They watched carefully as the once peaceful expression on Neirah's face started to fade and twist in pain; her heavy, panting breaths deepening with her strain.  
.

'Just... a little... longer...' Neirah thought, fighting the urge to let her emotions ripple the aura of power she'd encased herself in. 'Just… a little…'

.

* * *

.

 _*The rain hammered down against her cloaked figure as she stared out over the ocean stretching beyond the horizon. She didn't bother to turn her head when she was approached by a small vessel's captain. "I'm sorry lil' miss but there's no way in hell we can sail through this storm." He assured her gently. "The waters are perilous." Neirah dropped her head and listened to the clap of thunder sounding nearby, her sealed eyelids still allowing her to comprehend the flash of lightning behind them. She felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder as she shuttered in the cold. "I'm sorry... I know how much this means to you."  
._

 _"It's not your fault." She whispered bleakly, denying her gaze beneath her hood as rainwater washed hidden tears over her cheeks. "Thank you for your time..." The man watched her plod away across the docks before finally, she was gone._ _  
._

 _._

 _.  
_ _Not far from the port town of Hargeon, Neirah had set up to paint a landscape like she used to when she was younger. 'I still remember it like it was yesterday.' Rain poured from the sky in her mind, washing over her with memories that she couldn't erase. 'It was the first thing that he ever said to me.'  
_ _.  
_.

.  
 _Gajeel stopped along his path and cast his gaze downwards towards where a still figure waved a brush along a piece of canvas. He looked up to the sky at the stormy clouds and then dropped his curious gaze back to the tiny cloaked figure. "You know it's rainin'... right?"  
._

 _"I'm aware." He flinched with the sound of a delicate feminine voice answering his question in a cool, detached manner. "I like to... paint in the rain. It makes the colours bleed."  
._

 _'She can't be serious.' He watched the languid strokes cross the page, watercolours leaking downwards over the tilted canvas against her lap. "Well, to each their own I guess." He added casually in hopes to end their conversation as quickly as possible.  
._

 _"This way, the picture can cry... so I don't have to."  
._

 _The cold, damp day didn't help the chill he got with her lonely confession; her tone even without so much as a crack of emotion._ _"Seems like an awful tough way to try and create somethin'.'" He admitted slowly, tilting his head so that he could catch a glimpse of her features as she raised her head from where it was curled over her canvas.  
._

 _"It's frustrating no matter how you look at it. Sometimes I just end up throwing out the whole picture. But it's a more realistic view of this world. The beauty in sorrows… the world is so ugly."  
._

 _"Alright now you're starting to freak me out, kid." He warned her sternly as he tried to decipher her sentence fragments. The mature demeanour of such a young girl was intimidating enough without her dark philosophical ravings. There was a weakened catch in his breath when she turned her glossy silver eyes to meet his gaze for the first time.  
._

 _"I'm sorry, I'm not used to talking to other people so I guess my filters are a little damaged." She turned her gaze back to her picture before tipping her head back to observe the rainfall. "This world is so dark that I create my own." She watched the colours run down her page. "Most of them turn brown and ugly, but this one is so colourful." She turned her gaze back to him. "And it was made on such an ugly day. It's funny, isn't it?"  
._

 _"You've got some screwed up sense of humour, kid." He rumbled softly, watching as the girl returned to pack up her supplies in a weathered sack by her side. She slowly stood and wiped the rainwater puddles out of the wrinkles in her dusty violet cloak.  
._

 _"Thank you for taking the time to notice me." She whispered gently, her gratitude barely audible over the gentle rainfall. He flinched when she stumbled a bit in attempts at a gracious bow. "Pleasant travels." He watched the weaving girl make her way a couple of unsteady steps before he slowly started after her, his large stride putting him at her side in no time. He could tell she wasn't well, likely hadn't eaten in days, but it didn't surprise him with a personality like hers that drove her to paint in the rain. With a soft sigh, he straightened alongside her, looking down the path ahead of them as puddles formed with the torrential downpour they'd found themselves exposed to.  
._

 _"You got a place to say, kid?" He asked casually, knowing full well that the girl carried all of her belongings in a sack over her shoulder.  
._

 _"I'm sure I'll find one." She assured him softly, neglecting to make eye contact.  
._

 _"Yea, I'm offering one." He muttered slightly in agitation. He cast his gaze towards her again, watching her exhausted gaze flutter weakly in denial. "Yer not so good with hints are you?"_

 _._ _  
_ _"I'm not so good with people..." She admitted sheepishly.  
._

 _A long silence passed between them as they walked before finally, he broke it. "So… you got a name?"  
._

.  
.

 _'That was the only question he asked me. Not a question of past… or circumstance.'  
._

.  
.

 _"It might make communicatin' a little easier." She looked up at him solemnly, a sad attempt at a smile finding her lips.  
._

 _"Sure. You can call me Shadow." She whimpered, big glossy tears drowning her expression with her attempts at concealing her damaged past to be friendly to the kind stranger. "That's all I am to this world..."  
._

.  
.

 _'He never asked about my past and I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't care, or he didn't want to intrude. Maybe he knew how painful it was for me to remember. He didn't seem to mind that I didn't talk much, but then he didn't either. I would ask him opinions on my art and he would shrug and claim he didn't know anything about it, but he was there when I just needed to hear another voice outside of the ones in my head. It became comfortable, just being in the same room with him. I felt safe. And then one day, it happened...'  
._

.  
.

 _"Who's that?"  
._

 _"It's you, silly." Gajeel eyed the sketch suspiciously as the pencil traced lines that he was certain weren't his own.  
._

 _"You sure as hell have some high expectations of me." He teased in a monotone manner, throwing his hands back behind his head as he diverted his gaze. He flinched when he heard a breathless choke come from his side. Concern flashed on his features as he turned to face her, only to be surprised with another stifled giggle. He watched her carefully for a moment as the lines on her face curled, displaying a broad fang-toothed smile. Moments after, the room filled with her laughter. He watched her for a long instant before she finally opened her eyes to see him staring at her, dumbfounded.  
._

 _"W-what?" She asked softly, concern crossing her flushing features.  
._

 _"I've just, never heard you laugh before." Her gaze dropped in recollection for a moment.  
._

 _"I honestly can't remember the last time I did..." She tipped her flushing gaze back to his where he smiled back at her. She looked up at him innocently, a tender flash in her surprised gaze as he dropped one of his palms on the top of her head.  
._

 _"It's kind of cute, you should do it more often."  
._

.  
.

 _'Before I knew it, I was almost normal; or well, closer than I'd ever been. I started to share more with him, about my past and how the wounds lingered. I started to look to him like a big brother, my only confidant. I didn't have to live in the shadows anymore.'_

 _.  
_

' _But the light always seemed to elude me though, it never warmed me for long.'  
._

.  
.

 _"Well well, what do we have here?"  
._

 _"Little red riding hood?"  
._

 _"Heh, how's it going red?"  
._

 _Neirah shifted a detached peripheral gaze their way as she continued the lines on her sketch. "Although it's more likely for men to be colour blind than women, I can't imagine that you're so far out that you can't tell red from black."  
._

 _"No need to get lippy, jeez."  
._

 _"She's got a bit of a fire there in er' eyes."_

 _.  
_ _Neirah slapped her pencil down on her sketch pad before standing. She lowered her hood and let sun rays catch her face to reveal the cold diamond grey of her eyes._ _"My eyes couldn't be further from fire. Now I suggest you beat it before I backhand you with a colour chart."  
._

 _"Alright Red, now you're starting to make me mad."  
._

 _"Yea she's not so cute anymore. I think she's lookin' for a scrap."  
._

 _"No, I am looking at three delinquent morons with nothing better to do than disturb a girls long sought after peace."  
._

.  
.

 _'It was the day he learned that I was a magic user and what was more, what type. He couldn't understand why I didn't mention it earlier, but what was worse, was he couldn't understand why I left. I still remember the look in his eyes when he watched the attack lay out my enemies.'  
._

.  
.

 _"That's... dragon slayer magic..."  
._

 _She gasped and whirled on her heels to face him. "Gajeel?! How long have you been there?"  
._

 _"Long enough to have just a few questions about what the hell I just witnessed."  
._

.  
.

 _'I didn't deceive him, but I wasn't entirely forthcoming either... Regardless of what you want to call it, I felt like I betrayed him. But for the long months after, I wandered like before, cold, lonely, my heart heavier than it had ever been. I missed him. I missed him more than anything...'*_

 _._

* * *

 _._

"Do you see that?!" Gajeel managed uncertainly.

"Yes. It looks like the magic surrounding her is becoming unstable!" Lily added with his observance.  
.

* * *

 _._

 _*The rain continued to hammer down on her canvas as she painted, but unlike when she was younger, she couldn't let the sky cry for her any longer. Tears flowed from her eyes as heavily as the clouds leaked raindrops. She threw her canvas to the earth with a furious cry towards the heavens.  
._

.

 _.  
_ _"See? What did I tell you?!" Neirah turned her flushed face away from him and threw the covers up over her head with a defiant cough; guilt weighing heavily in her heart for her disobedience. "I told you not to go out in that, didn't I?! Now I don't have a damn clue what to do! You wanna end up six feet under or are you just trying to be a pain in the ass?!" Gajeel froze when he heard the restrained sniffles from where Neirah now faced the wall. With a rough sigh, he diverted his gaze and lowered his voice. "Huh, you ok kid?"  
._

 _"Go away!" She screamed bitterly in demand, still trying to hide her tears. "Just leave me alone! Everyone else... does..." Guilt hit him hard in the next moments when he thought about the poor girl's past. First her father, then her mother, and on top of that, a second mysterious guardian who had adopted her had also vanished without a word. He clenched his fist tightly and remained at her bedside, a similar wound still healing on him as well.  
._

 _"Not gonna happen." Neirah's tears flowed from wide eyes as she stared at the dark wall. "You may be a stubborn little nightmare, but even if you are just a shadow; you're my shadow, kid." He was taken aback when she threw the covers away from her feverish body and leapt up against him with tears in her eyes. "Hey! Come on, you need to get back in bed before you make thing wor-"  
._

 _"My real name… it's Neirah..." She whimpered softly.  
._

 _After a moment of comprehension, he let a weak smile curl his lips. "Nah, I like Shadow better." He teased, dropping his palm down on the top of the girl's wild mane to ruffle it in good humour. "Now get your scrawny hide back in bed before I tie you to it!"  
._

 _Neirah dove back into bed with a playful squeal."Yes'sir!"  
._

 _.  
._

 _She shook her head and threw her balled fists to her sides, a violet strike of lightning climbing to the sky before her. "Why does everyone I love die!?"*_  
.

* * *

.

Gajeel and Panther Lily flinched when Neirah's eyes flew open and the rotation of the vortex ceased in an instant. 'No...' Once the flow of energy had stopped, the pillar narrowed until a thin, concentrated beam pierced Neirah's chest upon absorption. She cried out in distress as she fell backwards, clutching a balled fist between her breasts. "Ahn, damn it..." She hissed bitterly, opening one eye to observe the additional damage she'd dealt to the slit in the mountains. "Not again..." Her next blink might have been longer than she expected because when she opened her eyes next, a familiar face looked down on her through the smoke. "Gajeel? Uhm... hello?" She squeaked innocently.  
.

"You wanna get me up to speed?" He looked up to where the twin rises in the mountain jutted out above them. "'Cause from what I can tell, this used to be one big hunk of rock." She touched both of her forefingers together with a bashful squeak.  
.

"Weeell..."  
.

"You possess an incredible power. I'm quite impressed." Gajeel wrinkled his nose, folded his legs beneath him and dropped to the ground next to her in a huff when Pantherlily joined them. Neirah shifted her gaze suspiciously around before finally looking Lily in the eye.  
.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought." She murmured softly. "I'm seeing talking cats."  
.

"Then I guess you did because there's only one of em' here." Gajeel grumbled quietly.  
.

"My apologies, I've heard so much about you in the past couple of days that I forgot we haven't actually met. My name is Pantherlily." Lily offered pleasantly. "I am an exceed."  
.

Neirah shifted her gaze knowingly to the blushing Gajeel. "A talking, flying cat like Happy?"

.  
Lily sighed dismally and dropped his head in defeat. "Please don't compare us so enthusiastically..."  
.

Neirah smiled warmly and straightened, laying her hands down in her lap. "So, I hear Team Tenrou is trying to catch up to the rest of the wizarding world in hopes of competing in the Grand Magic Games this year. I've never competed myself, but I guess it's a pretty big deal in the kingdom"  
.

Gajeel rested his chin on his raised palm and diverted his gaze. "Yer under the impression that the seven-year gap between us and everyone else wasn't just givin' them a chance to catch up."  
.

Neirah laughed softly. "No need to go on the offensive." She crooned diverting her gaze. "I'm just repeating the news that was offered to me." She cut her attention back to him from beneath dark lashes. "If you were to ask me, I would insist something similar. Months turn to years and I still look up to you, big brother."  
.

"Oh yes, now I see all too clearly why you let her hang around you." Lily mused through an entertained snicker.  
.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Gajeel demanded with a hard shake of his fist. He closed his eyes and folded his arms in a huff. "I couldn't have gotten rid of the kid even if I tri-" He paused mid sentence with a hard breath. "Hey, I didn't mea-"  
.

"It's ok..." She whispered softly, dropping her head with a sad smile. "You're back now... so everything's going to be... ok." Neirah's cheeks coloured as she stared into the earth beneath her, scarred with the power she'd exhausted in meditation. She let her fingertips brush against the little craters she'd made. "It's funny… The night Laxus showed up and told me that everyone was still alive, I was afraid to go back and face them." Gajeel flinched with the mention of his newly reinstated guild mate.  
.

"Laxus was the one that told you we made it back?" He interrupted briefly. She nodded and turned to face him, her cheeks flushed bashfully.  
.

"Don't sound so enthused." She teased. "He's not all bad. But then, I would be eternally grateful to anyone who would bring my brother home…"  
.

Gajeel flinched with the crack in her voice before he'd finally had enough of listening to her. "Knock it off." Neirah quickly turned her head to face him, her eyes widening uncertainly. " _I_ told you I'd be here, didn't I? You don't need someone else to tellin' you that." Neirah felt the well of tears in her eyes with her thoughts as Gajeel climbed to his feet with a short scoff. "But you were the one that never came back." Neirah sucked in a hard breath, her eyes wide in confusion.  
.

"Gajeel don't be so hard on her! She only missed you!" Lily demanded.  
.

"What are you talking about?" Neirah whispered lightly. Gajeel turned his back on her with a defiant snort.  
.

"You know exactly what I'm talkin' about. You ain't the same kid I watched take off seven years ago. That kid might've come back to Fairy Tail lookin' for me, but she ain't you." Neirah's face paled as she stared blankly forwards, his words piercing her painfully.  
.

"You're taking this too far!" Lily shouted as he climbed to his feet, shaking his fist towards Gajeel's back. "How can you be so cruel to someone who obviously cares about you!?"  
.

"Whatever." Gajeel started, shouldering his bag again. "Come on Lily, guess we'd better get back to work. I'd hate to disappoint Shadow when she comes lookin' for me again. 'Cause I know she will."  
.

Lily stared at him bitterly as he started to walk away, his paws shaking with fury. "How could you be so-"  
.

"You… bastard." Lily whirled around to face Neirah, shock on his feline features with the defiant curse she'd offered. Her expression was shadowed as sunlit tears rolled over her face and her hands trembled, clenched at her sides. "You kept me waiting... for seven... years..." Gajeel paused for a moment during his retreat but refused to look back at her.  
.

Lily took a moderating step towards her and opened his arms with an apologetic sigh. "I'm sure he was only-" Lily fled backwards when Neirah threw her head back and glared at Gajeel vehemently.  
.

* * *

.

 _*"Hey? Has anyone seen the new kid?" Macao questioned in concern, swishing his drink around in his mug.  
._

 _"Not since a couple days ago," Jet informed him casually._ _"I worry about her though… she's always out on her own."_

 _._

 _Droy nodded solemnly. "We tried to invite her to work with us, but it seems like she'd rather just spend time on her own. She's too young for these kinda problems…"  
._

 _"Yea, that poor little things like a siren up in the mountains just outside of town." Wakaba murmured behind the cigarette clenched between his teeth. "You sure she really had a brother with us? 'Cause it's starting to seem more like, well, y'know."  
._

 _Macao sighed and set his mug down. "She said she had a brother lost on Tenrou, and I believe her. She has no reason to lie to us."*_ _  
_.

* * *

.

"You're the only family I've got and now you're turning your back on me after all the time I waited for you to come home!?" She roared through bared teeth. She seethed with rage when he shrugged his shoulders without a second glance. "You kept me waiting... for seven... years..." Lily watched the two of them carefully as the pieces of the puzzle connected and Neirah watched painfully as Gajeel took an agonisingly slow step forwards. "Don't... you DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME!"

.

"W-wait!" Lily protested in alarm. Neirah cried out in offence as she took off towards her best friend and brother, tears in her eyes that filled with heartache. She drew her fist back and tightened it until she thought she'd break her own bones as a result.  
.

"You ungrateful son of a-" Her eyes widened and her breath grew short in the brief moment his gaze met hers over his shoulder, a wickedly sinister smile on his lips. 'Wait...' Neirah winced and was drawn up short when Gajeel turned on his heels and caught her offending fist tightly in his grasp.  
.

"You never learn." He rumbled shortly. Neirah cried out as he dragged her around by her hand and sent her sailing backwards through the air.  
.

"Gajeel what do you think you're-?!"  
.

"Stay out of this furball!" Gajeel demanded with a satisfied smile, throwing his bag back to the ground to crack his knuckles in anticipation. "Me and Shads've got some catchin' up to do." He was delighted when Neirah caught herself mid recoil and managed to connect the balls of her feet to the mountainside that she'd been sent sailing into. She rested her hand before her to catch her balance on the steep angle before quickly powering off the rocky surface towards him. 'Show me what seven years can do, kid.' He tried to keep his gaze focused on her trajectory as he approached her, but every dusty cloud that rose at her feet seemed to hinder the sense. After a moment, he ground to a halt in his tracks. "You make a pretty crappy impostor. You wanna dance or you wanna fight?"  
.

"Shut up!" Neirah wailed, materialising behind him to drive her foot into his back. He grunted with the impact and dropped to his knees, a mistake he realised when her front handspring landed her in front of him in order for her to land the top of her foot to his jaw. "Shadow dragon's wing attack!" She dropped low a few feet back after her blow; her stance broad and fingertips grazing the rock beneath her. She watched the dust settle against one of the mountain peaks before the slightest of amused smiles curled her lips. "Get up..." She demanded in a hoarse whisper.  
.

She cried out pitifully when her highly tied ponytail was captured in a dangerously firm grasp. "Gihi… What was that?" Gajeel rumbled in amusement, lifting the girl by not but her hair. Neirah closed her eyes and ground her teeth in rage as she clawed desperately at his wrist for freedom. "My bad, you almost reminded me of someone I used to know." He mused darkly, dragging the girl's helpless figure through the air before sending her back towards the mountainside. After an aerial somersault had her landing atop one of the peaks, her cold silver gaze was narrowing on an over confident slayer at the mountain's base.  
.

"Don't do it." She warned him sternly. His sinister grin broadened with her challenge.  
.

"Iron dragon club!" Neirah's gaze flashed darkly before she narrowly dodged his attack, utilising it as a bridge for her offensive approach.  
.

"Bad move, Screwball." She warned him as she drew nearer.  
.

"S'Been a while since you called me that." He rumbled playfully, a second strike heading towards her. Neirah threw her head to one side and tossed her hair back behind her, her bangs still draped over one eye.  
.

"Well, you did keep me waiting for SEVEN YEARS!" He slipped past her close-range strike and countered with one of his own.  
.

"I still don't believe you're that freaky little brat I left behind." She cried out when she was struck to the side, but it wasn't long before she was on her feet again, climbing the rocky terrain to get the high ground. "Cut loose kid! Show me Shadow!" Neirah kept her gaze lowered as her sinister grin broadened. When she finally made it to the top of one of the peaks, she slammed her balled fists together, one on top of the other before she lifted two fingers beneath the first fist.  
.

"Very well, but I should warn you, I've picked up a couple of tricks since you left me here to brood." She murmured softly, a light laugh finding her lips.  
.

"Gihi, bring it on." He muttered overconfidently. Her gaze flashed as he drew back with full intentions on hitting her with his best. "Iron dragon's roar!"

.  
Her sadistic chuckle was hard to hear over the sound of rock shattering on his spell's path towards her, but she didn't once waver. "Gajeel are you out of your mind! She-" Pantherlily was interrupted once again by their total lack of restraint.  
.

"You wanna shake the place up?" Neirah mused enthusiastically. "Dance to the beat of this storm!" She demanded with a giddy squeal.  
.

Lily sucked back a hard breath as he watched Neirah power off the cliff's edge quickly towards Gajeel's spell, a black lightning vortex engulfing her cloaked figure. "But I thought she used dragon slayer magic! What is this spell she's using now?!"  
.

Gajeel's eyes barely had enough time to widen before Neirah had pierced his roar and drove her statically charged knee hard into his abdomen. "Too slow, Screwball." She whispered darkly as his pained recoil drew him closer to her words. Pantherlily flinched when her electrified fist drew a swift uppercut through the air, sending his partner's head backwards to divert his attention. His jaw gaped as Neirah leapt backwards and put distance between her and her opponent. "Finally... this time for sure." She threw her head back upon her inhale, fists tight at her sides. "Shadow dragon's roar!"  
.

"Gajeel! Look out!" Lily called out in warning. He watched in terror as Gajeel threw his arms up to block her attack in vain, leaving Neirah to watch the spell disperse with a heavy cloud of dried earth smoking on the mountainside. Her arms started to tremble as she fell a step forwards.  
.

"I-I've done it... I... I've finally... beat you." She whimpered hysterically, throwing her fists into the air. "Yeah-ha! Take that Screwball! I finally won!"  
.

Lily gasped uncertainly, causing Neirah to lower her gaze in question. Her eyes widened and pupils narrowed with the catch in her breath.  
.

"No..." She watched in horror as Gajeel emerged relatively unscathed from the dust off her attack, rolling his neck to one side. "Oh come on! I completely blindsided you!" She wailed furiously. She stilled when he offered her a broad, devilish grin; throwing his arms out to either side.  
.

"Fair enough. I gotta admit, I didn't see that coming." Neirah took an uncertain step back as she watched the sun reflect of steel scales covering her opponent's armoured body. She outwardly flinched as he dropped his finger out towards her in challenge. "But we're far from done here."  
.

'When did he learn to do that?!' She thought timidly.  
.

"So, you done screwin' around or what?"  
.

Neirah's silver gaze narrowed as she ground her teeth hard in determination. "Not exactly how I pictured my knight in shining armour." She purred mischievously. "But this princess can look after herself."  
.

Gajeel threw his head back and filled the mountainside with mocking laughter. "Princess? Do you even know my bratty sister?" He chided. "She ain't no princess!"

.

"That's right." She admitted darkly. "She's the dragon." Violet bolts of magical essence displayed like cracks in her skin against shadow stained flesh. She flashed colourless eyes in determination. 'I will not lose to you again.' She winced with the expulsion of dark energy, ebony lines crawling along her skin as she meditated on her power.

.  
"That's it, they're both crazy," Lily muttered dismally, taking flight nearby. "It's not hard to tell that these two spent a lot of time together." Pantherlily winced as the two charged headstrong towards each other with determined cries. 'They're really taking this too far!' He took an aerial view to survey the damage when he was almost struck down by Gajeel as the man leapt into the air to avoid the confrontation below.  
.

"Now I just know you ain't hidin' again." He mused sarcastically. Lily flinched when Neirah appeared nearby with a dark smile on her face.  
.

"Not a chance!" She hissed bitterly, slamming the butt of one palm into her other. She threw her hands back behind her head. "Let's see you take this one, you walking lightning rod!"  
.

Gajeel's expression narrowed seriously as he attempted to dodge the dark lightning meteors as they rained down on them. "Iron dragon sword!" He powered off the ground and took off on the offensive once more, distracting Neirah from her attack as she attempted to dodge his blows. Just when he thought he had her locked in his sights, she faded with a cocky smile into the shadows around them. Gajeel whirled on his heels with a hard breath. "Damn it. Where'd she-"  
.

"Dark charge!" Gajeel recoiled in pain with a bitter howl when Neirah drove her shadow lightning magic into his lower back with a sinister smirk. "Now let's see just how hard you fall!" She called out slightly sadistically as she watched him fall towards the ground. Lily recoiled and put his arm up in front of his face as the ground shook and the battle became earthbound once more.

.

Neirah dove into the shadows and slithered beneath the iron dragon's collapsed figure in preparation. As soon as he started to stir, she burst from beneath him in a brilliant expulsion of violet coloured electricity. "I told you one day I'd make you pay!" She screeched, thrashing out at his counterstrikes. "For all the bath's you made me take! All the times you hid my sketchbook!"

.

"Ain't gonna happen!" Gajeel defended, striking her down with the heel of his boot. "What about all the times you went out in the rain when I specifically told you not to! Always getting' sick! Stealin' my boots! Makin' my life a livin' hell!"

.

"Your life!? At least you had a life!" Neirah seethed, wrapping her thighs around his neck with her handspring so that should release him into the mountain at her back. "Why didn't you let me join Phantom with you and Juvia!?"

.

"It wasn't a place to bring a damn kid!"

.

"You're no place to bring a damn kid!"

.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!"  
.

"This is incredible. They fight with the power they would use against the most dangerous of enemies." Pantherlily drifted back to a safe distance as the punches flew. "They're going to bring the whole mountain down if they're not careful."  
.

* * *

.

Mirajane recoiled with a soft gasp as the ground trembled beneath her feet. Elfman offered her a hand as she toppled, but he was no steadier on his own feet. "What the heck was that?" He asked in confusion.  
.

"It feels like the whole mountain is shaking!" Lisanna observed.

.

Mira laughed lightly and straightened, carefully observing their surroundings before offering her reassuring smile. "It's not hard to tell when Fairy Tail is training, is it?" She cooed affectionately. Her brother and sister laughed along with her with the truth in her words.  
.

"Yea, you got that right!" Elfman agreed.  
.

* * *

.

Neirah's legs trembled as she stood in the clearing smoke, her breath hard and uneven. Gajeel was in just as questionable shape and both were running low on ambition in the fight. "You fought hard, kid, but I'm still standing." Gajeel offered unsteadily through heavy breaths.  
.

Neirah smiled softly and offered an uncertain laugh. "I could say the same." She assured him, although uncertain how long her legs would last beneath her. "I told you I'd beat you someday... I won't quit until that day is today."  
.

"If you two don't knock it off, that day will be tomorrow." Lily murmured in observation of the late-day sun. Neirah slowly staggered forwards on approach, her hands dancing with dark shadow magic that was weak like the fluttering of dying candlelight.  
.

"Right. Here goes." She attempted to raise her voice, but sadly, failed. "Shadow dragon's-" Her vision grew hazy as she started to waiver. "S-so... close..." She whispered weakly as she fell forwards in defeat. Stepping forward, Gajeel grunted softly with her impact as she fell against his chest, his arms keeping her from hitting the ground at his feet. He smiled slightly as his own stability wavered in question.  
.

"We'll call it a draw." He muttered distantly. "Consider this day one of ninety... Shadow." Neirah smiled subtly against him and let a happy tear fall.  
.

"Challenge… accepted." She muttered faintly.  
.

Pantherlily landed nearby and crossed his arms over his chest with a discouraged shake of his head. "It's going to be a long three months…" Lily rumbled quietly. "A loooong three months."  
.

* * *

.

The sun had set and camp was made; a fire crackling and sending sparks to the heavens to join the stars. "Ahn, ssss, this stings." Neirah winced and held her arm across her chest as she bandaged it.  
.

"You could have at least held back a bit against the poor girl, Gajeel." Pantherlily scolded softly. A recently bandaged Gajeel turned around to face him with a defensive snarl.  
.

"Why?! She didn't hold nothin' back for my sake!" Lily turned away with a scoff as Gajeel recoiled in pain with his enthusiastic display of defiance. "Now that we're done catchin' up, how about you tell me where you picked up all that freaky combination magic stuff?"

.  
Lily lunged forward with bared teeth. "You two didn't catch up, you fought and destroyed half of a mountain!" Neirah smiled broadly as she tied off the wrapping around her second wrist.  
.

"Like he said, catching up." She purred affectionately. "Screwball was right. I wasn't really myself earlier. I'd been kinda depressed as of late and a mindless brawl really helped take the weight off."  
.

"Alright, I understand, you're both goons," Pantherlily muttered sarcastically, sending both paling figures to their sides. "That's not the mountain's fault."  
.

"Hey, who're you callin' a goon!?" Gajeel demanded irritably, quickly recoiling with the pain that shot through his forearm with his heated gesture.  
.

"Yea! I'm not a goon, I'm a lady!" She defended, groaning over the ache in her ribs. "Just a lady that enjoys a good round or two every now and then."  
.

"That's all fine and well, but I've started to notice something curious about you." Neirah's brows furrowed in question as Lily turned his gaze back to her. "Every time Gajeel asks you about your abilities, you're quick to change the subject. Now you may have addled what brains he has in your battle, but you are not so lucky when it comes to my intelligence."  
.

After a long and silent moment, Neirah turned her wide gaze to where Gajeel sat insulted alongside her. "You gonna take that from a cat?"  
.

"Stop dodging the subject!" Lily demanded heatedly. "How is it that you are able to use both lightning and shadow dragon slayer magic?"  
.

"Cool it. You know I heard the Salamander can do it, so why the hell shouldn't she be able to?" Gajeel defended sternly. "Anythin' that lamebrain can do, my kid sister can do better!"  
.

"So you're not even a little bit curious as to how she can pull this off with such power?" Gajeel shrugged and diverted his gaze.  
.

"If you knew Shads, you'd know to expect the unexpected. If she doesn't wanna talk about it, I ain't gonna force her."  
.

"You are some kind of whipped."  
.

"Say that to my face you little-"  
.

"I dodge the subject because I'm not really quite sure how I can manage these things." Neirah interrupted slowly, allowing Lily to escape his captor's headlock. She rubbed her palms over her arms as if attempting to vanquish a chill as she stared into the fire. "It happened seven years ago..."  
.

* * *

.

 _*Without explanation, Neirah's steps began to grow heavy as she wandered over a familiar path that carried her through the mountains. "I still don't understand." She whispered softly, brushing her fingertips along the side of the mountainous rise. "You didn't even say goodbye..."*_  
.

* * *

.

"I hadn't heard about the mysterious happenings of Tenrou Island yet, but something called me back to the mountains where I was harboured in my youth." She moved her fidgeting to her lap in thought as she continued. "From what I can tell, every night since the one Tenrou Island was lost, I could hear him calling out to me like he was in pain."  
.

Lily's brows furrowed in confusion, and he remained completely oblivious to Gajeel's epiphany. "Was he there?"  
.

Neirah dropped her head and slowly shook it from side to side. "No..."  
.

"I don't understand, who were you looking for?" Lily inquired slowly.  
.

"Ryverika." Neirah murmured softly, her heart aching with her loss. "The dragon I called father."


	3. Combination: Lightning

"I don't understand, who were you looking for?" Pantherlily inquired lowly. Neirah tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear with a sad smile.

.

"Ryverika." Neirah murmured softly, her heart aching with her loss. "The dragon I called father."

.

.

 **Combination: Lightning**

.

.

"You can't be serious!" Lily exclaimed in disbelief. "You're telling me that your father was a dragon." He flinched when Gajeel scoffed behind him, his arms folded over his chest. "You're not surprised?!"

.

"Ryverika is'er father like I'm the kid's brother." He turned his head away with an irritated snort. "But now that I think about it, her real father acted more like a dragon than her adopted one. Now if only I knew dead-beat-dad slayer magic." He let a wicked grin cross his features as he looked back out towards their camp. "Gihi… Then we'd be in business."

.

Neirah smiled warmly. "See, Ryverika and Gajeel might not be blood relatives of mine, but they were the only ones there for me when I was in need," Neirah explained. "So, I adopted them as my new family whether they liked it or not." She admitted with a wink.

.

"See? I told you." Gajeel rumbled in triumph. "Couldn't get rid of 'er even if I wanted to."

.

"Regardless, of my previous association with Ryverika, I went back to visit some old memories. I started with the mountains where he and I spent time together. While I was there, I got this strange feeling that I should know the reason that he left. Just after that, my feet seemed to return me to where my family home barely stands. The one that I lived in before I had ever met Ryverika." She twisted her face into a curious knot. "The place was pretty empty, probably bandits or something. But leave it to a bunch of scavengers to be uninterested in reading material."

.

"Are you saying they left behind some important literature?" Lily inquired curiously.

.

"Well, not exactly. They did leave behind some curious books that left me to investigate further. First, I found a book on the history of forbidden magic. This doesn't surprise me now that I realise my father was actually a magic user, but when I ran into him seven years ago, he wasn't using spells that were particularly dark."

.

"Perhaps he was just curious." Lily offered a theory.

.

"Nah, I don't think so," Gajeel added thoughtfully. "More likely fixin' to get into some freaky stuff. Her father's a nasty son of a bitch. I doubt he'd have the guts to even attempt it though after the pounding I gave him seven years ago." Gajeel assured him, smashing his fist into his open palm.

.

"That was my theory as well. I hadn't heard anything about his whereabouts for the entire time you were away; not that I was concerned much about him. So, I did some sleuthing," she explained. "Digging through the rubble, I found some strange notes on a dragon that could harness the power of not just one element, but virtually all of them. What he referred to as the _Rainbow Dragon_ was believed to be a myth; something of a child's fable. In the end, it sounded to me to be a heck of a lot like a codename."

.

"Sounds vicious." Gajeel mocked quietly.

.

"Well if my theory is correct, it was." She assured him sternly. "Because, if what I concluded is true, the dragon my father took such an interest in was Ryverika."

.

"But that can't be true because Ryverika was a shadow dragon who taught you shadow dragon slayer magic! In yer pictures, he's black as night." Gajeel reasoned enthusiastically. "What the hell makes you think he's got anything to do with this rainbow crap?"

.

"Yes, you would think that would be a hard thing to forget," Lilly agreed humbly. "A dragon with that kind of power could rival that of Acnologia, I'm sure."

.

"I was so young when everything started happening that I don't remember details, in fact, my first memories are terribly inaccurate a lot of the time. What I do recall, is that I was a shadow magic user upon meeting Ryverika, even if I don't remember learning it. That was how I escaped the asylum. It's possible that he just went with it and tried to branch off from there. It would explain how I'm able to incorporate lightning into my attacks now. I just feel like that day at the waterfront a little more of my memories came back to me. I'm starting to think that if Ryverika was a dragon capable of using multiple elements, I may have learned how to use them too." She raised her stern gaze to face her company. "Which leads me to believe that my memories aren't just spotty... but they've been tampered with."

.

"So yer tellin' me that yer like all us dragon slayers in one?" Gajeel snorted dismissively and glared at her in disbelief.

.

Neirah shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. "It's a theory," she started slowly. "I can't imagine that he would have held out on me. Maybe my young brain couldn't take the information overload and that's what fried my memory." She teased. She flinched when he shoved a chunk of metal in her face in offering.

.

"Eat this and I'll believe it." He demanded shortly.

.

"Are you insane?!" She inquired heatedly, flailing in panic. Lily raised an eyebrow as Gajeel tried to force feed her the metal piece.

.

"If you really are all kinds of dragon slayer than you should be able to eat it! If you can't then you ain't no iron dragon slayer!"

.

"Let go, you brute! Even if I could eat it I wouldn't want to! How gross is that!?" She froze when he picked a flaming stick out of the fire.

.

"Then what about this?" Neirah wailed in retreat and started to run around the campsite in panic.

.

"Ah! Get that away from me!"

.

"If yer a fire dragon slayer like the Salamander than this should be easy!"

.

"Oh come on!"

.

"Maybe I should start callin' ya Rainbow instead of Shadow." He mused manically.

.

"Don't you dare! Ryverika wasn't colourful at all!"

.

'Hm, come to think of it that name strikes me as awfully familiar.' Lily pondered silently as the two bickered. 'But I don't recall it being the name of a dragon...' Pantherlily watched Neirah struggle to keep her mouth shut as she denied Gajeel's strange offerings. 'I'll keep this to myself for a bit... I don't want to get the girl's hopes up.' Lily's gaze narrowed suspiciously in thought. 'Although, the thought of somebody manipulating Neirah's memories _is_ rather disturbing. We all got a taste of such abilities on Tenrou Island with Mest of the magic council so we know that it exists. I highly doubt the dragon would be responsible so I think that we can safely assume that there is an outside force tampering with Neirah's fate.' He watched Neirah pounce on Gajeel before striking him repeatedly with singe marks on her skin from the flames. 'The question is, why?'

.

"Gajeel, stop tormenting the girl." Lily scolded softly.

.

Gajeel cast him the ultimate in unamused gazes as Neirah dangled from his forearm by her teeth. "She started it!" He defended.

.

"Shadow…" Lily warned.

.

"Wah? Heh shold meh shu eah mo ion." She flinched, eyes wide as Pantherlily took his battle form, growing into a more humanly type creature. "AH! What the heck just happened?!" She demanded in alarm.

.

"This is my battle form, and unless you want to see more of it, I suggest you two cease this childish bickering!"

.

"Hey! Good idea furbrain!" Gajeel said, climbing into a battle-ready stance. "I could use a round two."

.

Lily scoffed and shrunk himself back down to fold his paws over his chest. "There would be no sport in fighting a warrior that has already been wounded."

.

"Hey! What the heck's that supposed to mean!" Gajeel demanded furiously.

.

"It means that your battle with Shadow has left you both drained."

.

"Don't be stupid! I ain't anywhere close to it!"

.

A familiar scent suddenly had Neirah's senses tingling alertly and her breath shortened as a result. She subtly scanned the area as Gajeel and Lily bickered between themselves before she slowly climbed to her feet and wrapped her cloak around her bandaged body. "Well, I'll just let you guys duke it out. I'll be back in a minute, kay?" She assured them hurriedly, starting off back into the forest.

.

"Wait, where are you-?" Lily flinched when Gajeel forced a heavy palm over his mouth to detour him from continuing.

.

"Trust me," Gajeel started slowly. "I don't know much about chicks, but I do know that when they say they'll be right back; you don't question 'em."

.

* * *

.

.

.

Fog had started to rise above the earth as the night cooled around them, allowing her to see her own breath as it formed gentle clouds before her lips. 'I wouldn't mistake that scent,' she thought cautiously, pausing to observe her surroundings as they grew even eerier as the night sunk into her surroundings. She tried desperately to hide the embarrassment that raced her heart and flushed her features with the thought.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Go on then, take a good one because that's all you're gonna get." He demanded bitterly. Neirah watched him uncertainly as she processed his request. Guilt flooded her with her ignorance and her heart ached for the pain she didn't mean to surface. "Don't think I don't know what this is about." He closed his eyes and dropped his guard. "I'm sure you're all just itchin' to-" The last thing he had expected was the feeling of her soft lips pressed against his cheek in a slow, gentle kiss._

 _._

 _"_ _Thank you."_

.

* * *

.

She caught herself unintentionally swooning and gave her head a hard shake to clear the moment from her thoughts. In doing so, her expression faltered and her innocent smile twisted itself into a crooked wave as recollection washed over her.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _HE WHAT!?" Gajeel covered his ears and ground his teeth hard with the devastated wail that filled the room. "That lying sleazeball told me he WASN'T a Fairy Tail wizard!" Gajeel's wide and traumatised gaze watched her seethe with fury as she panted out forceful breaths filled with underlying animalistic snarls. "EEK!" She squealed in panic. 'And I kissed him! Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigooooood!'_

 _._

 _"_ _Whoa there, Shads; cool your jets." He warned carefully, raising both hands in defence. "I don't get why that's got you so worked up. Have you even met the guy?"_

 _._

 _Neirah's cheeks flushed bright rouge as she turned to face him with wide eyes and a guilty squeak. "Who me? No. Of course not!" She assured him hurriedly. "I joined the guild AFTER Tenrou when he'd already been given the boot so-" She flinched when Gajeel's finger rested on her nose, poking it a couple of times in acknowledgement._

 _._

 _"_ _So you wanna explain all the shades of red you're turnin'?" Neirah threw her hands up in the air and retreated through the guild._

 _._

 _"_ _WAH!? I don't know what you're talking about!"_

.

* * *

.

"Now the questions start." She whispered softly, closing her eyes to prepare herself for the interaction to come.

.

"I thought I might find you here."

.

Neirah's opened her eyes as she turned to face the man who had joined her in a location similar to the one they'd met in a few days before. After she had scanned in guilty indulgence to make sure that she was certain that he had come to her alone, she advanced and lowered her hood.

.

"Well yes, but that implies that you were looking for me." She mused softly, taking a casual step towards him. "Something I'm given to understand that you don't do often." She kept her tone even, her expression warm, but she also remained guarded and in high suspicion. "I think you know what comes next." She murmured softly with a crooked grin.

.

He mirrored her confident smirk as he closed his eyes and lowered his head, his hands still deep in his pockets. "Straight to the point," Laxus raised his gaze to hers mischievously. "You don't mess around, huh?"

.

She tried her best to remain mellow as she let her smile broaden expectantly. "Well you see, I've just recently discovered the value of time and my brother and I have lost a lot of it." She assured him sweetly. "And I'm sure one of Fairy Tail's great S-Class wizards has more important things to be doing than chatting up a Shadow."

.

"You know, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or genuinely flattering." He mused rhetorically. "Either way, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. You said something the other day that's been buggin' me."

.

Neirah's body grew hot with embarrassment, her teeth ground hard to prevent her from squealing like a child and running away. "Oh? And what might that be?" She offered through her teeth and tightly pursed lips.

.

"You said that you knew me," he started slowly.

.

"Of course." Thinking quickly on her toes, she modified her story. "You may not have been a part of the guild but a legend is a leg-" She attempted to rush out her words, but got cocky in her execution. She was interrupted shortly after.

.

"Yea, now I _know_ it's got to be sarcasm…" He accused dimly. "But you also said even if I had forgotten you." His gaze locked with hers intensely. "I remembered you as the kid from Cardia Cathedral seven years back, but you made it sound like that wasn't where I should have remembered you from."

.

Neirah's gaze faltered in recollection.

.

* * *

.

 _'Has it really been that long that he's forgotten?' She smiled to herself and lifted her hood back over her head as she stepped out of the building. 'Or perhaps I'm just not very memorable.' She opened her eyes and tipped her solemn smile to the sky. "But I've never forgotten you."_

.

* * *

.

'He really doesn't… remember…' Neirah's lips curled sadly and she diverted her gaze with a gentle sigh. "It… was nothing." She ignored his sharp breath and turned her back on him dismally. "I was emotionally strung out over the loss of my brother. My words were all out of order."

.

His gaze narrowed in on her impatiently as he watched her start away. "You and I both know that's a load of crap." She paused and glared into the ground at her feet as he challenged her. "All I'm asking for is some kinda-"

.

"Forget about it." She quipped back heatedly, her disappointment growing as he pressed the matter.

.

"Yea, that's the problem. Obviously, I already have."

.

Neirah opened her eyes and glared at the earth under her feet, her heart breaking with his unintentional rejection. "Look, the past is the past," she raised her gaze as it darkened and looked back towards where her friends waited for her to return to them. "To be honest, I'm more concerned about the present and the future." She didn't let on that her heart was silently sinking with her pain. 'Obviously, the moment didn't mean as much to you as it did to me…'

.

He watched her start away before he admitted to himself that his efforts may have been wasted and he turned his denied gaze to one side with a scoff. "Tsk, figures your brother would have to be the hardest skull to sink through in the whole damn guild." She froze in her tracks, her features paling defiantly as her senses hummed with his insults. "Looks like even a little exposure to that idiot's got more than a couple screws loose up there. You weren't nearly so hard-headed the last time we chatted."

.

Neirah craned her head around to offer him her furiously iced over glare. Nobody disrespected her big brother in front of her. Not him, not anyone. "What did you just say?" She hissed slowly.

.

Laxus flinched in surprise with her sudden change in demeanour. "Well, what do you know? Looks like I've struck a nerve." He rumbled lowly. "So, you ready to tell me how you know so much about me when I don't even know your real name? It's kind of creepy thinking you've been stalking me all this time."

.

Neirah snorted derisively and whirled on her heels to face him. "Don't flatter yourself." She retorted shortly, broadening her dainty presence in foreboding. Her blood started to boil when he tipped his open palms to either side of him dismissively.

.

"Oh? Why else would you have met me half way? Especially when you were in the middle of playing catch up." His cocky expression grew menacing when he had figured out which buttons made her gears grind. "Besides, why would I flatter myself when you do such a good job of it on your own? You know, it's too bad. If you weren't raised by such a loser, you might've actually turned out ok."

.

Neirah ground her teeth hard as she attempted to rein in her rage. Her past echoed in her ears and her blood boiled.

.

* * *

.

 _"I_ was _raised by a dragon! And my brother is the greatest dragon slaying wizard in the entire world!"_

.

* * *

.

'The entire... world...' Her hands started to tremble at her sides. "How unfortunate. I had heard stories of your arrogance, but I never thought you'd take the benefit of the doubt for granted." She warned him softly. "Do you really want to know so badly that you'd risk losing a fan?"

.

He shrugged off her dig unconcerned. "I think I'll get over it."

.

"Fine, then I'll propose an alternative." She started certainly as she straightened and meditated quietly on her thoughts for a moment behind sealed eyelids. Any other time, she would have launched her attack before her enemy had realised that they had insulted her very existence. But she wasn't foolish. Laxus' power was legendary compared to anything she had ever seen. A sheltered child may have believed that Gajeel was the king, but that was before she'd ever learned the truth about the lonely boy in Magnolia. "I will tell you my secrets if," she opened her eyes and silver met steel. "You can defeat me in battle."

.

Laxus flinched, one eye widening with the cocking of a brow in disbelief of the challenge he'd been offered. "You can't be serious," he rumbled grimly. "Of all people, I would think someone who's done a pretty extensive background check on me would be a little more cautious."

.

"I don't care to repeat myself," she reiterated sternly. "If you can defeat me in battle, you can browse my pages to your heart's content." She watched his expression hesitate carefully for signs that he'd picked up on her subtle hint, but to her dismay, his expression twisted wickedly with tainted intent.

.

"Yep, my money's definitely on stalker." He assured her with a dark chuckle. "Even so, I'll give you fair warning that even if you are a girl I won't hold anything back."

.

"I'm aware," she mused mischievously. "See, whereas your reputation precedes you; you know virtually nothing about me." She added cautiously, striding confidently towards him with malice in her expression. "But out of courtesy, before you make your decision, I will tell you a bit about the mystery that is Shadow." His expression darkened with her threat as she approached him, her tone even and dripping venom. "I have a great deal of respect and admiration for powerful wizards, but absolutely nobody that I cross paths with disrespects my big brother… and gets away with it."

.

With an unamused scoff, he tipped his head back to avoid where she'd grown uncomfortably near. "Oh, yeah, and don't forget that you have one hell of a way of blindsiding an opponent." A wickedly sinister grin curled his lips as he watched her cheeks betray her pride. "If that's any indicator as to what kind of magic you use, we're in for a long night."

.

"Do you want to test me?" She whispered aggressively, her heated stare unshakable.

.

"Actually, I'm looking forward to it." He enforced with certainty.

.

"Good." She stated solidly, taking a step away from him again. "Catching up with my brother has my blood hot and I'm ready to rumble with just about anyone."

.

"If only you could hear how wrong that sounds," he mused darkly. "Man, I really hope you're not a fire wizard because Fairy Tail already has one too many of those with that same snarky attitude."

.

"Then shut me up." She whirled to demand. "If you don't like my attitude then I suggest you either defeat me and force submission or apologise for disrespecting my brother."

.

"Ohhhhh of those two options I think you know exactly which one I'm gonna pick."

.

A frisky smile stretched across her impish expression.

.

"This is really startin' to make me wonder where I know you from," he murmured spiritedly. "If it weren't for the seven-year age gap, I might've had a damn good guess."

.

"If your perversion is any indicator, you've obviously chosen defeat." She murmured softly.

.

"That's some big talk comin' from such a little lady." He mused humbly, thin strands of electricity crawling along his arms. "And even still, I couldn't be any more curious as to what kind of heat you're packin'."

.

Neirah meditated on her thoughts for a moment before opening her eyes and folding her hands into one another in front of her body. "You might want to take your hands out of your pockets to fight," she warned casually, a dark aura surrounding her with the dispelling of her magical energy. "You'll need both to contend with me."

.

With a confident laugh, he withdrew his hands and offered the exaggeration of their presence to her. "I like your spark, kid." He rumbled affectionately, closing his eyes to indulge in one or two guilty thoughts. She flinched when his gaze flashed in determination and he advanced on the attack. "But it's not gonna be enough!"

.

'My spark…' Neirah's gaze darkened with malice and her expression twisted into a sadistic display of excitement. "You're not going to like it for long…" She assured him quietly. "Because I think you will find… it will be _more_ than enough." Neirah's gaze flashed when Laxus grew within striking distance and in her next breath, her body had faded into the shadows.

.

His brow creased impatiently as he backed up out of his charge and turned to survey the empty forest around him. "Damn, when you said you'd open up if I defeated you, I didn't think you meant in a game of hide-and-seek!" He teased boldly. "I gotta say though, I should have seen that one coming. They obviously don't call you Shadow for nothing." He recoiled when she appeared beside him so closely that he could feel her speak against his arm.

.

"Oh? I didn't take you for a man who would hide from a fight." She mocked, narrowing her gaze in determination as she slipped beneath his attack. "But if you insist… you have three seconds to hide." He flinched with the venom dripping from her threat as she faded into the smoke of her shadows once more. She reappeared at his feet only to sweep them out from underneath him before disappearing again. "One." The shadows mewled softly.

.

"Well, that's inconvenient," he growled darkly, climbing back to his feet. "I really picked a great time to fight a shadow wizard." He winced when she reappeared again in front of him, her kick materialising just in time to strike him hard in the ribs before her body ghosted out of sight and proceeded to pass through him.

.

"Two," she warned a little more fervently.

.

"Alright, kid. I think I got you figured out now." He murmured quietly, his senses filling with her presence as he focused on anticipating her next attack. The first strikes had caught him off guard, but in nearing him, he managed to retain a small trace of something he could use against her.

.

Her scent.

.

"Oh really?" She purred gently. She slipped back around in front of him and watched him tracking her. She smiled softly despite his inability to see it. 'He's looking right at me.' She shivered, her heart racing with excitement. 'Even though he can't see me, he knows exactly where I am.' She closed her eyes and tensed in preparation. 'I'm only going to get one of these in before he figures me out so I'm going to have to be quick on the draw.'

.

"Three." Despite it giving her position away in certainty, she still uttered her final warning while materialising in front of him. He drew his fist back with a triumphant smile, lightning engulfing it on the offensive. "Combination magic…"

.

"Ready or not, here I c-" He lost heart for the briefest of moments when her dark and sadistic expression met his line of sight.

.

"Black lightning," she started bravely, inhaling the deep scents of the forest in preparation for her attack. "Shadow dragon's roar!" His eyes widened in utter disbelief when a dark lightning cyclone charged towards him.

.

"What the hell!?" He threw his arms up in front of him in defence as the attack approached him, his mind racing with his realisation. "This brat's a fucking dragon slayer?!"

.

* * *

.

"Gajeel, are you not even the slightest bit concerned that Shadow has taken so long to return?" Pantherlily inquired softly in confusion. "Or did you not realise that she was hurt pretty badly?"

.

"Yea… I noticed…" Gajeel admitted quietly, sitting up from where he'd been laying on his back next to the fire. "But there's one thing you gotta know about the kid. If she ain't whining about it, it ain't worth acknowledging."

.

Lily's expression dimmed. "So, you ignore compassion to avoid insulting her?" He flinched with Gajeel's short, maniacal chuckle.

.

"Nah, you ignore it so you don't end up eatin' dirt."

.

"Even so, I was trying to avoid bringing this up…"

.

"Huh?" Gajeel grunted in acknowledgement "Well? Come on, spill it, cat."

.

"I know you've probably smelled Laxus lurking around here recently."

.

Gajeel diverted his gaze defiantly. "Yea? What of it. He wouldn't be stupid enough to repeat those mistakes."

.

"That may be true. But you can't tell me that Neirah wasn't acting strange when you informed her that Laxus had been reinstated to the guild."

.

Gajeel shifted his gaze narrowly back to where Pantherlily spoke. "Get to the point, furbrain." He warned him impatiently.

.

"I'm just speculating, but I think those two may have… history." Lily stated hesitantly, carefully moderating Gajeel's reaction. "And that may have been the reason she would act so awkwardly realising that they would be a part of the same guild."

.

"Impossible, he was already on exile when Shads joined the guild and she had already left before he returned to wreck up the place." Gajeel dismissed casually. "Besides, as creepy as he is, I doubt the kid would've interested him back then."

.

" _True_..." Lily forced out impatiently. "But in case you've forgotten, they did recently meet when he told her you'd returned from the island."

.

"… So… What're you tryin' ta say?"

.

Lily threw his paw up against his face as he watched Gajeel's confused stare blink back at him vacantly. "Today we learned that Laxus was the one who told her that the Tenrou team made it back alive. I'm just saying that maybe something happened between the two of them that is making Shadow feel uncomfortable and Laxus lurk around in the shadows. It doesn't take an ember long to start a fire."

.

Gajeel stared back at him vacantly for a long moment of contemplation. "…"

.

* * *

.

 _"No please Lucy! That's part of my private collection!" She cried._

 _._

 _Lucy flinched and paled, her expression fading into horror as she laid eyes on the picture. "L-Laxus?!"_

 _._

* * *

.

'Give it a minute…'

.

"… WHAT!?"

.

"There you go…"

.

* * *

.

"No way…" He panted softly. "This chick uses dragon slaying magic?!"

.

Neirah staggered forwards and replaced her triumphant smile, trying to shake off the amount of magic she'd exhausted to try and claim the upper hand. "What's the matter, Sparky? You look surprised." She purred softly.

.

"Sparky?"

.

"You can feel free to surrender at any point."

.

He straightened with a short chuckle and reapplied his conceit. "You got me good, I didn't see that coming." He stood broadly before her, minimal damage received even if he'd suffered a direct blow. "You're really giving me a chance to stretch my legs. I can appreciate that in a woman."

.

She whimpered softly when he adjusted like her attack hadn't even fazed him. "Keep talkin' like that and you'll be liable to pull something..." She hissed bitterly, broadening her stance in defence as he prepared his retaliation.

.

'Damn, I was really hoping that would have been a more crippling blow, but I still haven't recovered from my fight with Gajeel.' She winced ever so subtly as the pain shot through her leg. 'And lightning really takes it out of me… That'll teach me for crammin' my eggs all into one basket…'

.

"My turn." He crooned, silencing her thoughts with his eager grin.

.

Her eyes widened in panic as she shifted into the shadows to avoid the surge of electrical energy condensed into her direction. She flinched when she watched the forest light up, trees for miles falling beneath his power. 'Whoa, too close!' She thought desperately, her heart racing as her trembling stare shifted from the desecrated forest to him. 'That's insane!' She quickly slunk through the shadows on approach with the belief that fast paced, close range combat would be her only hope for victory. 'Jeez, my combination magic looked like a love tap compared to that.'

.

Neirah materialised, running towards him as soon as his attack dissipated. With a lightning quick advance, she was within close proximity and on the offensive. After a few shadowed strikes she'd managed to land with her advantage of surprise, Laxus was turning the tables again. With a quick back handspring, she was out of harm's way and darting back towards him, but not before his gaze was widening in realisation.

.

'She's hurt.' He thought humbly. 'She wasn't catching up with Gajeel, she was brawling him.' Time slowed as she narrowly ducked beneath his distracted attack and her leg connected with his abdomen in a fierce strike.

.

"Shadow dragon wing attack."

.

Laxus was thrown to the ground moments after the attack collided with him but before he could recuperate, Neirah was quick to advance. He opened his eyes to find the woman straddling his chest preparing a combination attack that contained the final spark of her magic. "Too slow." She purred softly. With a determined grunt of exasperation, he threw her back over his head and staggered to his feet; internally contemplating his strategy knowing that she was already severely wounded.

.

Neirah winced softly as she was tossed, but quickly recovered when she ricocheted off of the trunk of a nearby tree and powered back towards her target. Feeling Neirah drive into his back, he rethought his leniency altogether. Even if she was wounded, she was fierce, and not as weak as he'd expected. He raised his gaze towards where she was lying nearby after their collision, looking far worse for wear just from exhausting her efforts. "You know, you're not helping your cause." He warned her with a sly grin. "For someone who claims they're not a stalker, you're havin' an awful hard time keepin' your hands off me."

.

Neirah's smile grew crooked with her sinister intent as she climbed weakly to her feet, trying to hide that one of her legs wasn't working properly. "Can you blame a girl attracted to power if she's attracted to you?"

.

He couldn't help at flinch with her direct response that admitted more than he wanted to know about the truth of her affection. "More sarcasm?" He retorted bashfully.

.

"Nope." She laughed darkly, shadows crawling along her flesh. "That one really was flattery." Although he had noticed her favouring her wounded leg and watched her fight off exhaustion immediately after her first attack, she didn't stop advancing. So not to be insulting to her effort, he obliged her fiery spirit and gave her all he had.

.

He sidestepped her charge, admiring the spirit that had her frustrated war cry echoing through the forest and he almost felt bad for the strike he landed that had her crying out in pain. Pity didn't last long though as she was dealing her own, her bangs hanging heavily in her face as she zipped around with incomprehensible speed. Her frustration grew when he repeatedly threw his own attacks into hers and made them look like child's play. She leapt back away from him and attempted to catch her breath. "You're durable, I'll give you that. You make a real good scratching post." She mocked, her temper over his insults of her brother slowly simmering down. "But I'd expect nothing less!"

.

He winced with the collision of their magic cancelling each other out before she was seeping into the shadows again. 'That's kinda strange...' He thought to himself, trying to track her invisible movements. 'Dragonslayers can consume their element to power up than one of two elements should give her the advantage here. She hasn't once tried to take in my lightning, or the darkness of the night around us... why?' He flinched as she appeared with another determined cry of attack, and with unrivalled reflexes, he blocked her with a particularly heavy blast of his own lightning.

.

Neirah growled fiercely and ducked beneath his forearm, raising her leg above her head to counter. Fury boiled inside her as his second hand swiftly raised and caught her ankle before she could bring down her leg, leaving her in a compromising position.

.

"You're pretty quick for a guy your size…" She snarled.

.

His gaze flashed darkly as she charged and expelled an unavoidable wave of black electricity between them to try and force her release. Laxus bore down on the strike, his fingers tightening around her little leg in bearing as he spoke. "And you're pretty tough for a girl your size." He snarled, tugging her off balance and tossing her into an electrified heap across the clearing they created with their battle. "What of it?"

.

Neirah cried out as she struck the ground a fair way away from where she had been attacked and the thought of staying down crossed her mind. She had known after her first attack that she didn't have a chance in her current state, but she could never bring herself to throw in the towel so easily when she was defending her brother's honour.

.

"Hey."

.

She flinched and looked up to where Laxus had called out to her.

.

"Look, I'm sorry for pickin' on your brother earlier. Didn't know it was such a hot topic." She whimpered softly as she watched electricity gather around him in preparation of a final blow. "But I warned you I wouldn't take it easy on you just 'cause you're a girl and I really want to know what you're tryin' to hide from me."

.

She nodded with a soft smile as she staggered to her feet unsteadily. She could respect that he didn't let up even when he realised that she had no chance in defending against his power. "Then I guess you'd better stop letting me hit you," she cooed playfully. She gathered the last of what shadow magic she had inside and summoned it forth in an attempt at defence; she wouldn't be talking much if she didn't remain conscious. She watched the brilliant light illuminate the forest as voices rang in her head before she realised that she wasn't going to be able to suck enough power out in order to blunt his attack. Panic rose inside her for just a moment before a familiar silhouette was crossing between her and the luminescence of his attack. "Wait that's-" Her comprehension shook itself clear and her eyes widened in panic as she was lifted off the ground and hoisted far above Laxus' strike. She looked up to see Pantherlily flying her out of harm's way and she started to struggle. "No! Wait, let me go! It's not what it-"

.

"Iron dragon's roar!"

.

She gasped in alarm when she heard the call and watched the attack plummet towards a very unsuspecting Laxus. "Gajeel no!" She cried out. When the dust had settled and she had struggled her way out of Pantherlily's grasp, she ran towards where two aggravated dragons were staring each other down, both humming with magical energy.

.

"Is it not enough to have me and the Salamander school you once? Because if you're lookin' to throw down again, I've got nothin' but time!"

.

Neirah struggled across the forest floor as Gajeel took off on the offensive towards Laxus who had long since lost his humour from their playful banter previously. "Gajeel, stop!" The thing that boiled his blood most when his furious iron fist stopped a breath away from his enemy's nose, was the unbreakable air of conceit that kept the man still before him like the threat was empty.

.

"Why the hell should I!?" Gajeel hollered back furiously, dropping his guard.

.

"This really… isn't what it looks like…" She whimpered softly.

.

"I think an explanation will be best saved for later," Lily assured her softly.

.

"And playing the part of the overprotective big brother this evening is…"

.

Gajeel whirled around and took a fistful of Laxus' shirt in his hands. "Look buddy! In case you didn't realise, the kid's not in any condition to fight!" He growled venomously. "And big brother or not, _I just don't like you_." He hissed darkly, his heated gaze narrowing in on his target.

.

"Actually _, I did notice_." Laxus mused confidently. "And I wonder whose fault that is?"

.

'He was going easy on me…' She thought, her cheeks flushing as she tried to hide her guilty smile. 'Jeez... He _was_ pullin' punches and I still didn't have a prayer.'

.

"You'd better watch it, Sparkplug." Gajeel rumbled fiercely. "I've beat people senseless for less than a smug ass comment…"

.

Both Gajeel and Laxus were taken back when the disbursing of shadow magic between the two separated them with a heavy thud.

.

"Well, I can see that this is going to be problematic…" Lily rumbled grimly.

.

"That's enough out of you, Screwball." She warned him sternly. "You boys go at it all the time so don't be surprised if I take the opportunity to size up my guild mates every now and then too."

.

"Again, if only you could hear how wrong that sounds." Laxus snickered from where he'd already dusted himself off.

.

"Watch it, pretty boy!" Gajeel snarled bitterly.

.

"This is definitely proving to be entertaining…" Laxus rumbled softly to himself. "In case you haven't realised, your baby sister isn't a kid anymore. She's a big girl capable of fighting her own battles. But by the looks of you, it looks like you worked each other through pretty good."

.

"Why you..."

.

"Now you stay put." Neirah managed weakly in demand as Gajeel sat at her feet shaking his fist. Gajeel narrowed a peripheral gaze on Lily as he made a whipping motion. "I lost, and as per our agreement, I have to-"

.

" _WELL,_ I think I've had just about enough of the metal head's attitude tonight."

.

Neirah flinched and turned to watch Laxus turn and start away. "W-wait! You won fair and square so I'll-" She watched him raise his hand in casual dismissal, reminding her of his intentions all over again.

.

"The fight was interrupted before it was over, so we'll have to catch up some other time when your guard dogs are out."

.

"Just who are you calling a dog!?" Gajeel demanded, shaking his fist at the retreating Laxus.

.

"For the record, I'm an Exceed!" Lily added impatiently.

.

"Take it easy, Little Lightning. Next time we're goin' hard and big brother's not gonna be there to protect you."

.

Neirah watched as he disappeared into the shadows and left the three of them standing in the silent field, her face beet red with the wandering of her thoughts.

.

After observing the devastation of their battle, Gajeel glared at Neirah expectantly. "You wanna tell me just what he got if he beat you?" He rumbled darkly. Neirah's face paled and her entire body froze.

.

"Huh, it would seem that I wasn't far off." Lily mused victoriously.

.

"Just what are you two insinuating!?" She demanded furiously. "I already told you that it's not like that!"

.

"This couldn't be any worse…" Gajeel rumbled as he threw his hands in his hair and paced with his anxiety. "Of all the insufferable walking lightning rods, you just _HAD_ to pick him."

.

"Dismaying indeed…" Lily groaned.

.

"WHAT PART OF NOT LIKE THAT DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND!?" She screeched, forcing each of them still before her. "I would never take a key interest in such an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk!" She only slightly fibbed, fighting angry tears as she tried to hide her heartbreak. "That conceited bastard even forgot the first time we met! Little Lightning?! HOW DARE HE MAKE ME FEEL SO INSIGNIFICANT! ERAGH!"

.

Gajeel shifted his wide gaze from left to right as he watched her stomp around in angry circles.

.

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about...?" Lily asked softly, mimicking Gajeel's gesture as he watched Neirah pace circles into the dirt.

.

"Notta damn clue..."

.

"And then after all that he doesn't even wanna talk about it?! THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF MAKING ME LOOK LIKE A WEAK AND INSIGNIFICANT FOOL!?" She whirled on her heels and started to stomp through the forest. "Damn it, Sparky! Get back here so I can kick your ass!"

.

"Well, this is an interesting development." Lily murmured distantly as the air swept around their feet in the silent forest. "I guess she got her second wind."

.

"That kid'll be the death of me..."

.

* * *

.

"So, which is it..." He rumbled softly to himself as he walked. "Shadow..." He raised his gaze dimly. "Or lightning?" He paused a moment and looked over his shoulder. "Her crutch seemed to be shadow magic and I highly expect that to be the reason why they call her Shadow. But to combine them like that without a second thought... If she had've had more of those attacks in her I might not have walked away from that fight." He smiled humbly to himself. "Beautiful and deadly." He scoffed lightly and turned back to start along his path back to town. "I must be losin' my edge if I'm letting a newbie show up _my_ lightning." He sighed softly in defeat and let his thoughts drift. "Little lightning… You can show me up anytime..."


	4. The Puppet Master

Neirah stirred softly next to the dwindling fire with a gentle whimper, her brows furrowing with the fading warmth. Her breath caught suddenly when she opened her eyes, realising that sometime during the night, she'd wormed her way uncomfortably close to her big brother. She slowly slipped away from him, a gentle smile spreading across her flushing features. It wasn't always uncomfortable being so close. She used to sneak her way against him when she was a child, but she was far from the sick little girl she used to be.

.

She raised herself up on her forearm before leaning down and placing an affectionate kiss on his brow as he slept. "I'm glad you came back to me…" She whispered gently. She tipped her wandering gaze to the side to where Pantherlily was curled up nearby, sleeping soundly by the fire. She diverted her attention to where she had kept an old stuffed cat next to her side while she slept, taking it up in her arms. She slowly stroked its crooked whiskers and restrained the choke of grateful tears welling within her.

.

Moving towards the fire, she gently stroked one of Lily's ears, watching in delight as it twitched adorably in response to her affections. "Are you the luck that brought him back to me?" She whispered softly, holding her hair back as she leant down and gently kissed the top of the Exceed's head. "Thank you…"

.

.

 **The Puppet Master**

.

.

The sky that blanketed the kingdom stretched far and not only dimmed the night around Neirah's camp, but also a fortress far more sinister. "We can't afford to wait any longer." A smooth voice mused over the brim of a glass filled to half with red wine. Long, dark polished nails raked absently over the smooth surface in thought; sharp, thin lips twisted most sinisterly. "The girl has started to become savvy of her collar and I fear she might soon outgrow it." He sipped at his wine for a long moment, savouring the taste on his lips. "The beast has provided us with all the pieces we need to complete our masterpiece." He crooned, tracing his fingernails over a blood filled lacrima crystal sitting next to his winding throne. "What a delight that the slayers among the island were spared. A pity such talent is wasted on that meddlesome Fairy Tail guild, though. Three of those wizards must soon belong to me."

.

"You wish to move ahead of schedule then?"

.

The dark man cut his gaze through the crowd in observance, a delighted smile on his lips as he was approached by an older man marked by a strange phantom puppet on his wrist. He braced an elbow on his thrown, his fingers raking like claws through his shoulder length bob cut. "Ah, Karua… so you've returned." He crooned mischievously. "What impeccable timing."

.

Karua raised his tired gaze towards the man addressing him from his throne. "Forgive the interruption, Puppet Master. But I have brought you that which you sought."

.

Thrilled, the Puppet Master rose from his throne, setting his precious wine glass on the stone arm in order to take vial that was offered to him. "Excellent work!" He congratulated, laying his bony fingers against Karua's shoulder. "I trust that they are keeping our dear comrade comfortable then?"

.

"Far from," Karua informed him swiftly. "But if all sees fit to go well from here on out, Jose will soon join our side again." His gaze narrowed as he watched his guild master's pupils dilate anxiously in observance of the vile. "Forgive me, Master." Karua started quietly, his gaze watching prying eyes shadily as their fellow guild mates hummed in question. "But this particular sample belonged to a slayer who was made by way of force. He has no connection to the ancient beast." He watched the Puppet Master cut his gaze swiftly back in insult as he articulated the question that was no doubt on every member's mind. "What use is it to our cause?"

.

The Puppet Master slowly stood and wrapped his arm around Karua's shoulder. "My dear Karua," He mewled gently, a sinister curl in his lips as he displayed the sample that was retrieved for him. "A body capable of absorbing and repelling poison with scales of the ancient beast is invaluable. Blood cannot tell the difference of one's creation. What we require is a genetic offering. It is not as if the dragon slayers raised alongside the beasts have any more relation to the creatures than the slayers made to become them. Something you will come to learn soon enough."

.

The Puppet Master had a dark gleam in his eye as he spread his arms, unfurling the cape at his back that shared the same dark clown symbol that Karua was marked with. "At last!" He demanded through a broad and maniacal smile. "Finally, the time has come for the dark guild Marionette to fulfil their purpose!" He demanded enthusiastically, attracting a monotonous round of applause from the other guild members. He cackled lowly before letting his cape settle against his shoulders, turning to take Karua to the side. "We are simply missing a final piece to this glorious puzzle, Karua." There was no exchange of surprise between the men as they conversed like each knew what the other was about to say. "Bring me that Astaulian daughter of yours so that we might start the hunt."

.

Karua gave his head a mechanical nod. "It will be done."

.

"And Karua!" The Puppet Master hollered back eccentrically. "Do heed dear Jose's warning about the iron dragon." He warned cautiously. "Let us not rouse that particular beast prematurely."

.

"Of course…"

.

"Excellent…" The Puppet Master all but snarled between his anxiously clenched jaws. "Then let season open on all dragon kind."

.

* * *

.

Neirah sat by the fire, adding fuel to its blaze; deep in thought as she watched the flames dance. She laid her chin against her raised knees, her features comforted by the shadows of her hood as she picked up a stick at her side. She gently laid the stick amongst the crimson flicker and allowed it to catch before raising the sizzling twig in front of her face.

.

* * *

.

 _"If yer a fire dragon slayer like the Salamander than this should be easy!"_

.

* * *

.

'Would it be?' She thought humbly in contemplation. After a long moment, she threw the stick into the fire with a distant sigh. 'Even when I was with Ryverika, I don't recall him ever consuming any magical elements. He didn't even teach me how to do it with shadows.' She rolled her gaze to the side, letting moonlight spill over her features as she looked up at the starry sky. After a long moment, she redirected her attention to where Gajeel was still sleeping nearby. 'I'm not like the rest of them… They're so much stronger than me… they know so much more…' She looked down at the fire once more. 'How can I honestly expect to believe that Ryverika was a legend when the slayer that he trained was a complete flop?' She groaned humbly and wrapped her arms tightly around her knees. 'Is it my fault, or his?'

.

* * *

.

 _"But that can't be true because Ryverika was a shadow dragon who taught you shadow dragon slayer magic! In your pictures, he's black as night." Gajeel reasoned enthusiastically. "What the hell makes you think he has anything to do with this rainbow crap?"_

 _._

 _"Yes, you would think that would be a hard thing to forget." Lilly agreed humbly. "A dragon with that kind of power could rival that of Acnologia, I'm sure."_

 _._

 _"I was so young when everything started happening that I don't remember details, in fact, my first memories are terribly inaccurate a lot of the time. What I do recall, is that I was a shadow magic user upon meeting Ryverika. That was how I escaped the asylum. It's possible that he just went with it and tried to branch off from there. It would explain how I'm able to incorporate lightning into my attacks now. I just feel like that day at the waterfront a few more of my memories came back to me. I'm starting to think that if Ryverika was a dragon capable of using multiple elements, I may have learned how to use them too. Which leads me to believe that my memories aren't just spotty... but they've been tampered with."_

.

* * *

.

With a dismissive sigh, she slowly crawled over to Gajeel's side and adjusted a blanket over his chest before smiling warmly and doing the same for Lily. After that, she climbed to her feet with the intentions of taking a relaxing stroll to clear her mind. 'Everything is so blurry… my past… I know I was young, but so was Wendy.' She paused upon passing a moonlit cliff side, the view breathtaking in all aspects as the moon shone in the sky the same colour as her irises.

.

She slowly slipped her hood from her face and let the light dance in her glossy eyes, allowing herself to be grateful all over again for her brother's return. 'She may not be very confident, but the skills are there.' She groaned ever so lightly and diverted her gaze sheepishly. 'Yet here I can't even remember who taught me shadow magic before I met Ryverika… or if I was taught to use multiple elements?' Her breath caught for a moment as she scanned her spotty memory, only to come up with a recent encounter to take place in a similar location to the one she stood amongst. She smiled bashfully to herself and rubbed a mysterious chill from her arms beneath the heavy material of her cloak.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _I'm not dead. And I'm not a Fairy Tail wizard." He waited a moment longer for her whimpers to quiet a bit before he diverted his gaze and continued. "But I was on… Tenrou Island seven years ago."_

.

* * *

.

She smiled and slowly laced her fingers together in front of her. "But I never forgot you…" She whispered softly.

.

All of a sudden, her blood ran cold; eyes widening in terror as the wind carrying her breathless whisper brought a familiar scent to her nose. Her heart thundered in terror, and for a long moment, she couldn't force herself to turn around. Maybe if she ignored it, he would go away. But he didn't. She could feel his every nearing footstep as he approached and she simply couldn't understand why she hadn't started running earlier.

.

"Neirah…"

.

She couldn't understand why the dark hiss called to her, why comfort seemed to wash over and beckon her as he mentioned her name. It seemed like her body moved on its own to turn and face a man that tried to kill her, caused her brother harm; the man she called father.

.

She tried to hide her trembling as she turned to face the man, and she was caught between feeling fear and rage. "Karua…" She breathed out bitterly. Seven years ago, her brother gave everything to try and protect her from the man who stood before her; a man she hadn't realised used magic. The thought crossed her humble mind in the moment that maybe her magical origins prior to her meeting with Ryverika may have involved her father. But why would someone be so cruel so many years later and so kind in her memories? Now, she stood before him alone and very low on magical energy herself; ultimately defenceless if he decided to attack. "What do you want?" She forced out weakly, infuriated with how pathetic and non-threatening she sounded.

.

She watched Karua cut his gaze to the ground sheepishly, the weathering of seven years showing on the tired lines of his face. "If I were to ask for anything, it would be that you call me father."

.

The sincerity in his voice had helped to expel the remainder of the fear she felt and she proceeded to fill the cracks with her fury. "The audacity…" She growled defensively, taking a step towards him. "After all that you put me and my brother through seven years ago, that is what you have to say for yourself?!"

.

"I am sorry, Neirah." He offered grimly in response.

.

"Sorry? _Sorry_?! You almost killed me! If Gajeel hadn't have been there, I wouldn't be standing here for you to say those things to!"

.

"Please Neirah, I never meant to hurt you or your friend-"

.

"My. Brother." She corrected feverishly. "The. _only_. family. I have."

.

"You don't share his blood."

.

"What does that matter!?" She raged, regaining almost all of her confidence in the situation. "As far as I'm concerned, Gajeel was right! You don't know the first thing about family! He looked out for me after you faked your death and left me and mom for dead! And then, he was willing to give his life to protect me from _you_! He is everything to me!" She shouted furiously.

.

Before Neirah could continue, she was very quickly detoured by the rise in Karua's voice. "I had no choice!" Neirah flinched with the exasperated ascension of her father's tone causing her to stumble back a step. "Neirah, I need you to listen to me, I don't – I don't have much time."

.

"What do you mean…?" She inquired cautiously, keeping her guard up as she examined his every move with wary eyes.

.

"Somebody is coming for you, the same people who forced me to attack you seven years ago." Karua rushed out, constantly looking over his shoulder like he might have been followed. "The dark guild Marionette seeks your fate. The Puppet Master… he-"

.

Neirah flinched as her father grew silent and lifeless before her for the briefest of moments. "Wait, who?" She started in alarm. "Karua…? Father, please tell me what's going on?!" She demanded frantically.

.

Like a switch had been redirected, Karua grew conscious once more. "No, he's here!" He demanded panic stricken. "Neirah quickly! Get away from here before I can cause you further harm!"

.

"What's happening?! Why are you acting like this!?" She cried out in concern, the smallest warmth of concern for her father flickering in her heart.

.

"The Puppet Master is the leader of the dark guild Marionette. He obtained the name by use of manipulation magic." Karua warned her quickly gripping her shoulders frantically. "Know that! Do not let him get into your head, Neirah! It is too late for me, but you can be sa-" She cried out uncertainly as he threw her to the side scampering away in terror. "Stay away!"

.

His voice echoed in her ears as she watched him retreat in horror, her jaw gapped and breath heavy. "F-father?" She whimpered softly. After a long moment, she crawled to her feet and chased after him, unsure as to why she bothered. "Wait!"

.

* * *

.

Gajeel stirred in his sleep, and at first, he wasn't sure why. Moments after he opened his eyes and blinked around the campsite, that question was answered. His breath caught as his gaze fell on a small bulge beneath where Neirah was sleeping not more than a couple hours ago. He slowly pulled the sheet back and took the little stuffed cat responsible in his hand. "Lucky…?" He whispered gruffly.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _I'm ok…" She started slowly. "Me and Lucky don't mind sleeping on the ground."_

 _._

 _"_ _Lucky?" He started uncertainly._

 _._

 _"_ _Well… you said he might be lucky." She added softly. "And I feel lucky that you found him for me…" She tipped her bright and innocent expression back up at him. "So his name should be Lucky."_

 _._

* * *

.

"Hey, Lily, wake up." He rushed out uncertainly, throwing his own blanket to the side.

.

Pantherlily stirred groggily with a soft groan, rubbing his paw over his eye. "What is it Gajeel?" His gaze narrowed on the stuffed cat that Gajeel was holding.

.

"Have you seen Shadow?"

.

Pantherlily blinked back at him expectantly. "You just woke me up, are you insinuating that I see her in my dreams? That's taking things a little far if you ask m-"

.

"Just shut up and come on!" Gajeel demanded hurriedly. "I don't like the thought of the kid wanderin' around without her magic!"

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Ah, there you are…" The Puppet Master mused behind Karua's eyelids. "Now where have you left dear Aria, old friend?"_

.

Karua scanned the forestry nearby, knowing full well that he had left Aria somewhere near. He had a strange feeling as he wandered through the dark brush, anxiously sensing impending turmoil. "Aria." He demanded sternly. "Where ar-"

.

"Lose somethin'?" Karua flinched breathlessly as Aria was thrown at his feet in a heap; glittering sparks crawling over his weighty figure. "Caught him sneakin' around like a zombie during your little conversation with a shadow. You wouldn't happen to know anythin' about that now… would you?" Karua took a step backwards when his wide gaze fell upon golden sparks lighting up a rather broad silhouette in the shadows of the forest.

.

 _"_ _Would you just look at that?!" The Puppet Master crooned anxiously, a wide grin on his face as he lurched forward in his throne. "The grand prize of our little game, coming to play so soon! Makarov must have reclaimed him upon their return." He sat back and clapped his hands together in excitement. "To think, four of seven in one fell swoop. What an absolute delight!"_

.

Laxus' gaze flashed impatiently as he tipped his head back to glower at the man with an impatient scoff. "Here's a little tip for ya, old man. Don't leave my curiosity wanting." He wrapped his fingers around his flexed palm, sparks flickering over his skin anxiously. "What was it you two were chatting about?"

.

 _"_ _Karua." The Puppet Master mused. "Be a lamb and fetch me his blood." He all but snarled through a sadistic grin._

.

"Well if it isn't the great and mighty Makarov's grandson." Karua started smoothly, adjusting his expression to darken with malice. "Your line caused us a rather weighty setback seven years ago. More before that."

.

Laxus' expression darkened as his narrowed glare pierced his target resentfully. "Not my problem," he snarled, his moderation failing. "What is, is the fact that a little girl who calls you daddy is probably thinkin' you just came by to say, 'hi'. But that's not really the case, is it? You wouldn't need backup for somethin' like that." Laxus took a lengthy step out from where his darkened figure had lingered in the shadows. "I may not know a lot about the scrawny little brat, but what I do know, is that she's a Fairy Tail wizard." His gaze narrowed even further with vehemence as his teeth came together to grind. "That's enough to make you my problem."

.

"I came to her with the same warning I will offer you," Karua hissed, his arms igniting in dark flame. "Stay out of our way!"

.

Laxus didn't hesitate in challenging the man as Karua darted towards him more nimbly than he anticipated from a man his age. Unfortunately for Karua, however, Laxus was far from unresponsive. He quickly sidestepped the wailing flame and promptly threw his heel into the man's back, sending Karua into the forestry around them with a pained hiss.

.

"You're laggin', old man." Laxus rumbled darkly, watching Karua struggle to rise from over his shoulder. "Better get your head in the game before you end up like your little pal over there."

.

Karua glared into the ground, deep in focus. It was too early to involve someone so powerful in their game, but for the sake of a show, he climbed back to his feet and lobbed some absent attacks in his enemy's direction. 'Soon…' He thought bitterly, absorbing the strike that lightning had offered him. 'Your time will come, and when it does, all of Fairy Tail will tremble before Infinity!'

.

Laxus watched Karua ricochet off of another tree like a pinball, his brow furrowed impatiently. "Guess you were all talk." He crooned, stuffing his hands in his pockets dismissively. "And here with all your raving, I thought I was actually in for a challenge." He glowered down on Karua's struggling figure as the man mechanically turned to face him. "I don't care if you really are the kid's old man." He assured Karua's bitter gaze sternly. "The next time I see you sneaking around these parts, I won't be so lenient."

.

"Nobody can save the girl from what is to come," Karua growled from behind bloodied teeth. "Not you, and certainly not the one she calls 'brother'."

.

Laxus tipped his head back to turn his nose up at Karua's weak attempts at threatening him. "Tsk, please." He reached down and wrapped his fist in the frail man's collar; dragging Karua to his feet so that he could meet his demanding glare. "If I catch you pretending to play catch-up with the kid again, the tin man's gonna be the least of your concerns. You got that, pops?"

.

"Father! Father, wait!" The startled reactions of the men were simultaneous when Neirah's voice met them in the debris of their brief encounter. Laxus flinched when Karua suddenly leapt back away from his grip, his violet gaze hot with impatience.

.

"This isn't over…" He snarled in dark promise.

.

Laxus met the man's impatient stare head on. "Good, something we can agree on..." Only a small amount of tension left his body as he watched Karua vanish, and as expected, the gaze he shifted over his shoulder revealed that Aria was also gone. "Not that I ever paid much attention before, but something didn't feel right about that guy." He narrowed his gaze with his thoughts. "Nothin' about this is right…"

.

"Father are you-" Neirah caught her breath, skidding to a halt as she came upon passing the distant lightning slayer. "Laxus?" She breathed out uncertainly. "Wait… what are you doing here?"  
.

"We just keep on runnin' into each other, don't we?" Laxus tipped his peripheral gaze her way before dismissing her curiosity. "What? A guy can't take a walk in the forest?" He reasoned, silencing her dark and suspicious glare.

.

Neirah's expression dimmed impatiently with his challenge. "You seem to be lingering awfully close by since we met, Sparky. Assure me that it's coincidence, why don't you?"

.

"Tch, don't flatter yourself, sweetheart." He dismissed absently. "And I'm sure that unlike me, you haven't forgotten that we met well before I came back with the rest of the guild from the island."

.

Neirah caught her breath impatiently and tucked her chin towards her chest. "Whatever," she hissed out curtly. "What I do want to know is whether or not you've met anyone coming this way."

.

Laxus didn't so much as blink when he quickly answered her inquiry. "Nope." It almost hurt when he watched the girl's expression drop dismally, pain and confusion darkening her eyes. "Look, I know you're still peeved that I forgot you, but in case you haven't noticed, things have been pretty crazy lately." He watched her tip her gaze ever so softly his way. "If you've got time, maybe you wouldn't mind tellin' me your name at least; 'cause I'm almost sure it isn't really Shadow."

.

Neirah's heart skipped a beat, and she almost felt foolish for not introducing herself earlier. But nagging in the back of her mind was the bitterness of him forgetting a moment that she had always cherished. She sighed sadly, trying to ignore how genuine he sounded. "Does this mean you're gonna turn the condescension off for a bit?" She snapped back cattily.

.

"I'll see what I can do," he assured her roughly, tipping his head to one side in indication. "Let's take a walk."

.

She watched him cross in front of her warily and start back towards town and the thought crossed her mind that maybe she should have returned to her brother before he woke up and started to worry. But she couldn't deny her feet as they carried her to his side; the warmth of human companionship melting her heart as she walked alongside the first friend she'd ever made. "And it's Neirah." She started softly, meeting the turn of his expectant gaze with a gentle smile. "Not Shadow…"

.

* * *

.

Neirah laughed lightly as they talked, her relaxed demeanour enjoying the company she'd found late that night. "Oh wow, I can just see the look on the Master's face when he caught you there." She didn't bother looking at Laxus as he tipped his pleasant gaze to her in silent observance. "You're lucky he didn't drown you!"

.

"I'm sure he probably would've tried if Hades hadn't've roughed him up so bad." He assured her coolly. "But it's good to know the old geezer's still got some fight left in 'im."

.

Neirah turned to face him as they walked, her expression warm with affection. "That's funny, I thought you didn't get along very well with your grandfather."

.

Laxus closed his eyes, his expression dimming as he scoffed gently with her reply. "We've had our differences…" He assured her distantly. He opened his eyes and watched the stars dance in the sky as they touched the rolling plain they crossed on the horizon "But watchin' him kick up a fuss against that old lizard didn't help." He flinched in his next couple of steps, Neirah falling behind him as she stopped dead in her tracks.

.

"So you really did see one?" She inquired hopefully.

.

He turned to face her, his hands still deep in his pockets. "Yea. And I gotta say, if that's what you guys chummed around back in the day, I'm surprised any of you are still alive."

.

Neirah smiled bashfully and diverted her gaze, rejoining his side. "I'm sure they aren't all like that…" She whispered weakly, denying Laxus' prying expression. She tipped her head back and looked up into the night with a sad smile. "Ryverika was always so kind and wise." But her smile soon faded with her heart ache. "From what I remember at least…"

.

"I trust you," Laxus added softly. "From what I've learned, your memories pretty damn good."

.

Neirah coughed out a soft laugh with his teasing efforts. "It's funny you should say that because my memory is the furthest thing from."

.

Laxus tipped his gaze her way with a sigh of defeat. "Still not gonna tell me, huh?"

.

"If it's meant to come to you, it will." She teased playfully, pulling up to another stop. She looked out over the city of Magnolia that lay out at her feet beneath the hill; silently recalling her own memories. "It's funny to think that this city could call me back no matter how far I wander," she crooned happily. "I guess this is just where I'm meant to be." She flinched when Laxus snorted derisively.

.

"It's alright, I guess."

.

Her brows furrowed softly, and the late night had given her just enough confidence to let the topic rise. "Can I ask you something…?" She started cautiously.

.

He tipped his mellowed gaze her way. "Shoot."

.

"You weren't a Fairy Tail wizard when you went to the island… when you got back from the island." She lowered her gaze when he diverted his expectant stare. "But you were when I met you back in the cathedral, weren't you?" She finished softly.

.

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" He rumbled grimly.

.

"Why?" She interrupted softly, keeping her gaze away from where it might accidentally meet his. "I can't imagine that your grandfather would have expelled you… but… you grew up here, right?" She rushed out uncertainly. "Why would you leave?"

.

Laxus closed his eyes and sighed drearily. "Of all the things you know about me, I find it hard to believe that no one in the guild gabbed after Tenrou disappeared."

.

"I… didn't really push the matter. It was hard enough just to get them to talk about you." She offered sheepishly, turning her flushing features to the side. "Even now, I'm curious, but afraid." She rubbed a chill away from her arms when she felt his gaze rest on her from her side. "I guess I don't want to dilute the mystique of my heroes."

.

When she finally turned to face him, his breath caught in the back of his throat. Not only was her expression warmed with admiration, but he noticed something strange about her that night. Eyes that once glittered in diamond shades were deep in colour. It was hard enough to meet her icy glare head on with her challenge, but something about the ocean blue looking back at him in that moment had him diverting his attention swiftly with the rise of heat inside him.

.

After a long and silent moment, she finally spoke again. "You… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

.

"I'm surprised that brother of yours didn't say anything sooner…" He started quietly, making her flinch with his sudden advance. "I was particularly hard on him when he first joined the guild." She watched as he drew his hands out of his pockets to fold them over his chest, watching the city carefully as it slept beneath them. "After him and his Phantom pals had run Fairy Tail through, I honestly couldn't even stand to look at the guy." She grew tense when she watched his hands flex subtly around his forearms. "I couldn't believe that the old man had let the freak show into the guild after what he'd done."

.

She couldn't help but feel the weight of guilt for her brother's actions, and suddenly she understood why the two didn't see eye to eye. "Is that… why you don't get along very well with the Master?"

.

"It goes deeper than that, Little Lightning." He assured her quickly, pleased that she didn't fuss when he referred to her in such a manner. He sighed and took a seat in the grass on the hillside. "The fact that I tried to level the entire city if I didn't get my way probably didn't help keep that ship from sailin'." His tone lowered almost regrettably as he continued. "It's funny, not long after you left the cathedral that day, your brother and his little flame spitting pal popped by to pound some sense into me. If it weren't for them, I would have torn the whole damn guild to the ground just to reinforce the dust." He tipped his attention from the city to the ground he sat upon. "I wanted it so bad that I kinda lost sight of everything else."

.

He flinched when Neirah approached from behind him and rested her chin on the top of his head, purring in amusement as she followed his gaze out over the city. After confirming his suspicion with an indirect glance, he shifted his gaze back outwards and tried to hide the flushing of his features with her nearness.

.

"Hm, sounds like you were a real jerk." She mused, forcing him to groan bleakly in front of her.

.

"Yea thanks. Because everyone in the guild doesn't already do a great job at reminding me that."

.

"You're alright by me though." She crooned, tilting her head to one side against him to observe his reaction to her efforts. "Credits; you know what you want and you're not afraid to take it. Besides, maybe you wouldn't be so cool if you didn't taste defeat. Maybe, in a way, it helped."

.

"You're all over the place, you know that?" He grumbled impatiently, debating tossing her out over the hillside.

.

"Yea, Screwball calls me quirky, but I suppose they're synonymous." She smiled and moved to sit beside him, a warm smile on her features. "Screwball did some bad things too, so he probably had it comin'. I was just as surprised as you when I found out he had joined the guild he'd almost destroyed. But in a way, I was thankful that he was given a chance. I wanted somebody else to be able to see… what I see." Laxus' gaze faltered as he watched her sceptically. "The big brother that protected me when I was in danger, took care of me when I was sick. I knew that, given the chance, he'd find a way to make it up to the guild."

.

"I heard he fought really hard to defend the island before it disappeared," Laxus added in hopes of comforting her. "If it makes you feel any better."

.

"I knew he would…" She whispered softly. "Just like I knew that somehow, he'd make it back to me." His attention diverted to where she fiddled with a silver bracelet around her right wrist, a bright Fairy Tail pendant catching the moonlight spilling over them. "You know, I went through a dark time in my life too. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for that. Every shadow needs a light. So I guess everything happens for a reason, fate and what not. This conversation might mean something later on down the road, you know?" He watched her carefully as she continued to ramble, clearly camouflaging her discomfort.

.

She sighed softly in defeat, noticing that she wasn't really making him feel any better about the circumstances. As a result, she lowered her gaze shamefully for a moment before the idea struck her hard.

.

Laxus stilled awkwardly as she pressed herself up against his shoulder, her hands on either side of him where he sat. "Uh, Neirah? Just what'd'you think you're doing?"

.

She smiled bashfully in his peripherals before she softly spoke. "Look…" She encouraged enthusiastically, tipping her head to where the moon cast a single shadow over the grass they sat in. "You're so big that I can hide in your shadow without using any magic at all." She teased, hoping that he at least found some humour in her light-hearted jokes. She watched the flicker of unspoken thought dance behind his cool reserve before sighing and sitting back next to him; unaware that her shadow still remained concealed with the casting of his own without the nearness she'd displayed. "I know, I know, I talk too much." She rushed out grimly. "I was just tryin' to-"

.

"Hey..."

.

She paused mid-sentence and turned to face him apprehensively.

.

"You know, I'm glad our roads brought us to the same place, for a while at least." He turned away to avoid the flood of colour in her cheeks with his comment. "Maybe you're right and this conversation might mean somethin' someday." He turned and offered her a reassuring smile, trying to lighten the mood that he'd significantly brought down during the course of their interactions. "You can hang out in my shadow for a bit, Little Lightning. I don't mind…"

.

Neirah quickly shied away from the almost gentle expression he was offering her, her heart racing frantically beneath her guild mark. Suddenly, she didn't really feel like dwelling on the past, even the past that he had forgotten; not for that night, at least. She flinched when Laxus finally broke the silence that had fallen between them. "So, was that dragon who trained you a lightning dragon?" He pried curiously, still uncertain as to what type of magic she actually used.

.

Neirah laughed lightly to herself with his assumption. "Don't worry, Sparky. I'm not out to steal your thunder." She teased lightheartedly. "So… far as I know, Ryverika was a shadow dragon who taught me shadow dragon slaying magic."

.

His brow creased in thought as he watched her sapphire gaze flicker with doubt. "So far as you know?"

.

"Yea…" She whispered humbly. "So far as I know…" Neirah's heart sank with the thought, the confusion of the night returning with a vengeance. With thoughts of what her father had told her, she turned her attention back to the city beneath them.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Somebody is coming for you, the same people who forced me to attack you seven years ago." Karua rushed out, constantly looking over his shoulder like he might have been followed. "The dark guild Marionette seeks your fate."_

.

* * *

.

'Marionette…' She thought silently. 'What would they want with me? Even worse, why would they turn my own father against me?' In a way, she wished she had of been able to catch her father before he had managed to escape, but another part of her wanted to ignore that it ever happened. She turned and looked to the side where she watched Laxus sitting quietly nearby, the comfort of his presence reassuring. 'Nothing… makes any sense…' She tipped her flushed features away. Her past, her father's struggle, the information she'd discovered on Ryverika, the attack on Tenrou Island; it was all a jumble of incomprehensible misfortune that seemed to have befallen her in a short period of time. But for the moment, the most terrifying and confusing of the instances was the feeling's she was harbouring for the man sitting next to her.

.

* * *

.

 _"Try not to get yourself trampled, ok?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

Her eyes glistened affectionately as she watched him linger in a silent moment. 'You're still…' She smiled sheepishly and lay her fidgeting hands down in her lap. 'Lonely…'

.

* * *

.

Steam was rolling in the bushes nearby as Gajeel clutched Neirah's stuffed cat tightly in his clenched fist. "Gajeel, as a feline myself, your treatment of that cat his unsettling."

.

"Zip it." Gajeel hissed furiously under his breath, glaring at Laxus wrathfully. "I can't believe the kid's sneakin' out at night to go hang around him."

.

"For the last time, Shadow is no longer a child!" Pantherlily scolded impatiently. "She's a grown woman capable of making decisions for herself! If she sees fit to make friends with Laxus, you should accept it!"

.

"Ain't gonna happen!" Gajeel roared, turning to face the cat. Pantherlily flinched with the wrinkles in Lucky's coat and watched stuffing sprinkle among the dewy grass from the tear in its left paw. "Even if I thought that was true, there's ain't no way in hell I'm gonna let her hook up with a guy like that!"

.

"Like what, exactly?" Pantherlily encouraged. "You've hardly taken the time to get to know h-"

.

"I don't gotta!" Gajeel raged feverishly.

.

"Gajeel, if that cat holds any sentimental value to Shadow, I suggest you set it down."

.

Gajeel ground his teeth with a bitter growl before turning his attention back to where Neirah sat silently next to Laxus on the hillside. He looked down at Lucky's permanently pleasant features before his scowl became a twisted grin.

.

* * *

.

Neirah was moments before parting her lips to speak when she watched a fluffy cat speed right into the back of Laxus' head. She blinked a couple of times, her cheeks colouring as she watched the event unfold. A chill stole her spine as she watched Laxus turn his gaze to look at her as if she might've been the offender. Quickly shaking herself free of her guilty thoughts, she reached down, and to her surprise, drew a familiar stuffed cat up in her arms. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she observed the twisted whiskers on the feline. "Lucky?" She stated uncertainly.

.

"Lucky?" Laxus repeated expectantly.

.

Neirah's gaze darkened furiously as she slowly turned her head just in time to see Gajeel forcing Lily's head down below the brush line. "Lucky…" She snarled impatiently, her cheeks colouring with rage and embarrassment.

.

* * *

.

Maniacal laughter filled the Marionette guild hall upon Karua's return. "How the divine has blessed us this day!" He sang enthusiastically. "How enchanting that we have this rare opportunity for advancement as well as revenge!"

.

"Soon!" He exclaimed in a beastly tone, whirling to face Karua. "Soon we will have vengeance for our fallen comrade as well as drink to his return!" Karua winced as the Puppet Master sloshed his wine over the side of his glass, the stray drops staining his shirt. "Then together, we shall rise as three mighty kings on the golden wings of unity!"

.

"The game is set," Karua assured him darkly. "The girl will soon… come to us…"

.

"Excellent…" The Puppet Master crooned villainously. "Then we shall begin our hunt."

.

Karua watched the Puppet Master move away before speaking again. "What of Makarov's grandson?" Karua pried expectantly. "We risk a lot confronting him ourselves, and no other within these walls is strong enough to pose a threat to him."

.

The Puppet Master chuckled darkly from behind a sinister grin. "He will be the first to bow before infinity…"


	5. Winds of War

**Winds of War**

.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _The Puppet Master is the leader of the dark guild Marionette. He obtained the name by use of manipulation magic." Karua warned her quickly, gripping her shoulders in frenzy. "Know that! Do not let him get into your head, Neirah! It is too late for me, but you can be sa-" She cried out uncertainly as he threw her to the side, scampering away in terror. "Stay away!"_

.

* * *

.

Neirah's upper teeth came down hard on her lower lip, an almost inaudible whimper of agony escaping her. 'Why?' Her fingers flexed around the pencil she was using to sketch with as her heart ached from recent wounds. 'Why would they turn my father against me…?'

.

Gajeel flinched as Neirah balled another sheet of sketch paper between trembling hands and threw it to the side with the rest of the little paper balls around her. "I've never seen the kid so on edge before…" Gajeel rumbled softly, watching absently as another paper ball bounced across the ground following the hiss of tearing paper. "Nothin' used to keep 'er from her drawing."

.

"Is it possible she's grown out of it in the last seven years?" Pantherlily analysed thoughtfully, wincing in recoil as a paper ball bounced delicately between his ears. "You know, youth does offer more creative spark."

.

Gajeel all but growled at the insinuation, the arm he had rested on one raised knee flexing with the need to lash out irrationally in all directions. "The only spark that's out of place here is that arrogant creep she's been chummin' around lately. This is probably just because thunder boy said something he shouldn't have." He lowered one of his hands from where he had rested his face in it, watching solemnly as his little sister crawled to her feet and started away from their camp. His gaze darkened, his teeth grinding with the impatience he harboured over his own thoughts. "I swear if that creep so much as even thought about touchin' my kid sister-!"

.

"Even if you can't bring yourself to trust Laxus, you should at least offer merit to Shadow's defence," Lily reasoned diplomatically. "Keep in mind that the first time you stumbled upon them, they were fighting. She's simply made a friend, albeit an unexpected and strange one…"

.

"You don't get it." Gajeel offered impatiently, dropping his gaze after Neirah had disappeared into the forest. "The kid doesn't understand what it's like to be normal. Someone's always tryin' to screw with her head."

.

"And you can attest to normality?" Lily interrogated sarcastically. "Because an upbringing by dragon doesn't seem to strike me as a very normal occurrence in any human's life."

.

"Shut up, cat!" Gajeel defended in outrage. "Look, we might have that in common, but what we don't goes further back." Pantherlily sat next to his friend intently as he divulged in detail. "The kid was way too young to be on 'er own when the old lizard found her. She only had one memory before that and that was the place they locked her up in."

.

"Like a prison?" Lily inquired curiously.

.

"Kinda…" Gajeel added solemnly, rolling his gaze over the spill of her belongings against the grass. "She didn't talk about it a lot, but it was enough that they wouldn't even let 'er back in town. She wasn't ready to hold the weight of takin' lives…"

.

Pantherlily's eye widened, his jaw gaping with uncertainty. "Shadow?" He started through trembling breaths. "How could she possibly be capable of something like that?"

.

"I don't even think the kid knows that…" He grumbled edgily, dropping his chin back into his palm. "All that stuff she said about someone in 'er head, it's freaking me out."

.

"What do you mean?"

.

"The kid used have all these nightmares about a voice in her head tellin' her to do all this bad stuff." He tipped his curious gaze towards Lily. "She saw it all happen, but couldn't stop, and she said it all stopped when she met Ryverika."

.

"Then it must not have been the dragon." Pantherlily flinched when Gajeel turned and slammed his fist into the earth with an impatient snarl.

.

"Then who was it?!" He demanded impatiently. "Who'd take an innocent little kid and rip them apart just for the fucking fun of it!?"

.

"I wish I could suggest that she has seen the end of it, but if she is still discovering new abilities, it's possible she hasn't fully recovered yet." Lily's gaze narrowed sympathetically on the man by his side, trembling with impatient frustration. "I have to admit that I thought the girl was strange when I first met her, but the reasons continue to justify her behaviour. It would seem that her emotions are out of tune with what we might deem 'normal'. So far, I have seen a great deal of devotion from her in the way she looks up to you." Gajeel slowly rolled a peripheral gaze his way, his expression solemn as he listened to Pantherlily's epiphany. "She is a very affectionate girl, but has a great deal of misguided rage and confusion inside her as well." Pantherlily tipped his gaze to Gajeel's curiously. "Aside from those few attributes, she has basically remained a child. She must have locked everyone else out when she thought she had lost her brother on Tenrou Island. She clearly finds it hard to trust."

.

"And with what happened seven years ago with her dad, I don't blame her." Gajeel turned his gaze away with a gruff sigh. "But you forgot fear…"

.

"Hm?"

.

"Shadow… lame as it sounds, that's what the kid's most afraid of." He looked down into his palm with wandering thoughts flooding his mind; past and present. "Everything and 'er damn shadow…"

.

"This girl, she means a lot to you…" Pantherlily stated boldly, his inquiry fading into simple acknowledgement with the humbling of his usually feisty partner's features.

.

"Back then, the kid relied on me to look out for her." He admitted sheepishly. Gajeel sighed and flexed his fingers over his open palm, his general impatience with the entire situation returning. "It just felt right, ok?!" He demanded, turning away with a defiant pout. "So I don't care how big she gets, I'm gonna keep doin' it 'til I get good at it. I don't care if she is just a shadow, she's my Shadow, damn it!"

.

Lily smiled softly, a hint of challenge in his sly expression as he watched the features of the over protective iron dragon colour in embarrassment. "Well if you intend on protecting her from the likes of Laxus than I suggest you get back to training."

.

"Hey! Shadow thinks I'm tough enough as I am!" Gajeel defended rashly, throwing a balled fist out in his direction. "Take a page from her, why don't ya!?"

.

Lily folded his paws over his chest with a curt scoff. "Then go sit with Shadow."

.

"Maybe I will!"

.

Lily cut his mischievous gaze to where Gajeel had neared him wrathfully. "And what if she's sitting next to Laxus?"

.

"NO WAY! The kid'd never replace me with the likes of him!"

.

"You sure about that?"

.

"Come on!" Gajeel demanded, grabbing Lily by his little paw to rake him through the air.

.

"Where are we going?" Lily purred drolly, watching the scenery pass by as he was dragged through the forest.

.

"No more slackin'!" Gajeel demanded impatiently. "We gotta get stronger!"

.

"Imagine that…"

.

* * *

.

Wandering back towards town, Wendy and Carla conversed beneath the heat of midday's sun. "I am impressed, Wendy. This is the second job you have managed to complete all on your own."

.

Wendy heaved an exhausted sigh and closed her eyes. "I don't understand how you can say that," she mewled softly. "Carla, these jobs have all been so easy. Don't you think I should try to challenge myself? I mean maybe next time I could-"

.

"Nonsense child!" The little Exceed scolded softly. "You are still too inexperienced and I simply cannot allow you to rush into this new lifestyle headstrong."

.

Wendy whirled around and whined her defence from behind a disappointed pout. "But Carla-!"

.

"No 'but's." Carla interrupted sharply. "Work is work and those people were happy with the service you provided. You should take pride in that accomplishment."

.

Wendy threw her balled fists down at her sides with an impatient huff of exasperation. "I bet Natsu and the others don't spend all day keeping bugs off plants!" She whined anxiously, her cheeks colouring with her embarrassment.

.

"No, that pyro and his tomcat would have razed the entire crop to the ground!" She quipped back swiftly.

.

Wendy sighed and continued on her way in silence, anxious to advance herself. She knew that Carla only acted so strictly because she cared, but she wanted to grow stronger and more capable as a wizard; something she felt that Carla was holding her back from. Her thoughts continued to wander even as the air around them became thick and ominous in presence. She was under the impression that the unsettling feeling might have come with the argument she was having with her best friend, but as Carla's piercing voice echoed in her ears, her eyes were widening as she turned to face a grim figure on attack head-on.

.

"Wendy, look out!"

.

* * *

.

The child's scream of surprise and anguish was piercing in his ears, but it didn't detour his satisfied smile as he held the small crystal vial up to the sunlight over the two unconscious figures. Karua's violet gaze wandered as his triumphant chuckle rumbled within his chest. "Four."

.

 _"_ _You work quickly Karua, I am most impressed." The Puppet Master mused from over the brim of his wine glass. "But we have had the element of surprise on our side up until now. Surely the entire magical community will be buzzing with our advance." He warned with an excited purr._

.

"It won't matter soon enough. We will have the most unstoppable of forces on our doorsteps and everything will fall into place from there." Karua assured him sternly, stepping over little Wendy to wander back through the forest in which they had previously trekked.

.

 _"_ _You couldn't be more right, my friend." He crooned proudly. "I can see it now… But let us see if we can't collect one more before that time comes. I would see opposing flames clash for this particular performance. Indulge me, would you?"_

.

Karua's cape caught the breeze at his back and unfurled beneath the twisted lines of the puppet at his back. "I will seek him out then."

.

* * *

.

Gajeel was starting to worry as he carried an extra set of belongings back to the guild hall on the outskirts of town. Neirah hadn't returned to their camp that day, and he hoped that she would be the first sight to meet his eyes as he entered the guild. Unfortunately, it was just as empty as ever. He sighed and dropped her backpack at his side before sitting in front of their in-house bar. "See? I told you we shoulda just waited for her to come back!" He rumbled impatiently to his furry little companion.

.

"Well you have to admit, it is strange that she's been gone for so long," Pantherlily assured him softly, climbing up on a seat next to him. "Rather than looking around absently in the forest, I figured picking a home location to check would be wiser. We also didn't come by her on our way here either; that leads me to believe one of two things," he offered his paw out with an indication of a single. "One, she doesn't want to be found. Or one point two, she doesn't want to be found because she's spending time with-"

.

"Don't say it, furball!" Gajeel raged bitterly, locking Pantherlily's words behind the forearm he had curled around the cat's head. He flinched as Lily offered his paw out towards the vacant guild hall, finding a moment of distraction in Gajeel's hold where he could escape his headlock.

.

"I don't really think I have to."

.

Gajeel threw his hands against his head with a furious cry of frustration. "I swear I'll kill him!" He raged, slamming his fists down on the bar top.

.

"Really?! They got those two from Sabertooth too?!"

.

Gajeel slowly turned to face where Droy had lurched forwards in bemusement with a comment his partner, Jet, had offered.

.

"Huh? What do ya think's got them all excited?" He rumbled grimly at Lily's side.

.

"I haven't the slightest…"

.

"That's impossible! They were insanely powerful at last year's games!" Max exclaimed in panic. "If somebody really did take them out then they must be that much stronger! Which seems unreal because those two ALWAYS work as a team!"

.

"Not only that but I hear the magic council is in an uproar over the member of the Oracion Sais that was attacked in prison."

.

"Was he a dragon slayer too?" Droy questioned humbly with Jet's divulging.

.

"Yea." Jet continued cautiously. "That's three of them in a week. I'm really worried. It can't just be coincidence, can it?"

.

"No way… and now we have five dragon slayers in our own guild now that team Tenrou's back." Max added.

.

"You don't think they'll come here looking for them, do you?" Droy rushed out worrisomely. "We just got them back!"

.

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure. These dragon hunters are a force to be reckoned with."

.

"What!?" Gajeel exclaimed quietly with Jet's remark. "Did he just say dragon hunters?!"

.

"This is bad…" Lily fumbled out in alarm. "We'd been camping in the mountains for so long that I had no idea someone out there was attacking dragon slaying wizards."

.

Gajeel's heart sank as his fleeting peripheral gaze caught the shimmer of Lucky's twisted whiskers hanging out of Neirah's backpack. "And Shadow's somewhere out there with 'em." He breathed out in terror, climbing to his feet and lunging for the table where Max, Jet and Droy were conversing. Jet and Droy cried out in surprise when Gajeel gripped a collar in each hand and raked the men's noses together in front of him. "Alright, seein' as you clowns seem to love to chat, don't stop now!" He demanded fervently. "Time for you numbskulls to put your heads together and tell me exactly what's goin' on here!"

.

"Gajeel! They're on our side!" Pantherlily warned frantically.

.

"My kid sister's been missin' since this morning and you're tellin' me that she's out wanderin' the forest with a couple of dragon slayer slayers?!"

.

"Gajeel. What seems to be the problem?" Makarov stated humbly upon his entry to the guild. Jet and Droy clamoured among themselves as they were released to fall to the ground.

.

"Why didn't anybody tell me that there was some psycho out there huntin' dragon slayers?!" Gajeel demanded hurriedly, his heart racing with the fear for his sister's safety.

.

"Up until now, I had no reason to suspect that anybody was," Makarov informed him swiftly. "The first attack was on one member of the Oracion Sais. The news came late last night of two more attacks following it." He met Gajeel's frantic crimson glare head on. "Even now we can't be certain that the attacks are related. Our best bet is to regroup and try to figure this out as a guild equipped with four potential targets."

.

"Count again, old man!" Gajeel demanded, throwing his hand out in front of him anxiously. "Shadow is a dragon slaying wizard too!"

.

"Ah yes, the new recruit that Macao took in. I was surprised to see her return here to join after our disappearance." Makarov closed his eyes and tipped his chin towards his chest. "You two have quite the history, I understand."

.

Gajeel flinched with Makarov's cool detachment, his blood boiling with impatience. "I don't have time for this crap! I gotta go find Shads and bring her home!"

.

"That I cannot allow," Makarov assured him sternly. "The best course of action here will be to wait until each of you return. It's not safe for you to venture alone."

.

"What?! How can you even say that knowing that the kid's already out there on her own?!" Gajeel demanded in outrage. "I don't care about those other jerks, but if any of those scumbags so much as lay a finger on my kid sister, I'll slice em' off!"

.

"Gajeel, perhaps she really is somewhere with Laxus, in which case I would suggest that she will have a much better chance at fending off threats." Pantherlily reasoned, folding his paws over his chest. Ignorant to the curious flash in Makarov's gaze, he continued regardless. "I have to agree with the master on this matter. We need to be patient."

.

"Are you kidding me?! That creep doesn't give a damn 'bout anyone but himself! There's no way in hell I'm just gonna sit here and wait for them to find her!" With a furious hiss, he stormed towards the exit of the guild. "I just got 'er back…" He all but growled to himself upon approaching the guild hall door. "There's no way in hell I'm gonna let some poacher take her away from me. Not again." Gajeel was moments from turning his rage on his own guild master when Makarov dropped a giant arm out in front of him. Instead, he reined in his wrath and settled for a piercing glare of defiance. "Stay out of my way, old man." He warned darkly, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'll bring this old shack down all over again if it means protectin' that reckless brat."

.

In the next moment that conflict was about to shake the weathered walls of their raggedy guild hall, they were interrupted by the distressed and breathless whimpers of a tiny Carla, desperately trying to drag a wounded sky dragon through the guild hall doors. "Please!" She cried out breathlessly, tears streaming over her face with her weak whimpers of anguish. "Please, somebody help her!"

.

"Carla!" Lily exclaimed in panic, rushing to the weak Exceed's side. Lily narrowly caught the exhausted cat as she grew faint and stumbled towards the ground. "Carla, what happened here?!"

.

"Please help… her…" Carla cried softly, her voice fading with her weakness. "Wendy…" Pantherlily raised his wide and panicked gaze to where he could meet Gajeel's, his paws trembling around Carla's unconscious figure.

.

Gajeel's expression paled as he stared blankly at the little girl lying in the doorway, his mind incapable of seeing Wendy. Behind his eyes, all he could comprehend was the sight of a young Neirah lying in a pool of blood at his feet, Lucky on the floor just out of her reach.

.

Makarov's gaze didn't break the riled iron dragons as he stared back at him. "You and I will discuss this later." He rumbled in authority, rushing past him to the wounded girl's unconscious and battle weary figure. "Jet! Droy! Quickly, help me move her!"

.

"Right away!" They crooned simultaneously.

.

"This situation is far more dire than I expected…" Makarov started furiously, his fists trembling with rage. "To think, that any brute could attack a child so casually!" He whirled to face Max and Warren, fury twisting the lines of his face. "Max! Warren! I need you to try and find Natsu and the others! This situation can no longer go unchecked!"

.

Snapping back into reality, Gajeel took his first hurried step towards the door, only to be held up once again. "I told you to stay put!" Makarov demanded sternly.

.

"Sure, you don't give a shit about what's happenin' til it happens to one of your own! Open your damn eyes!" Gajeel demanded heatedly, swatting Makarov's denial to one side. "Natsu's out with his little pals and that grandson of yours has the entire Thunder Legion with him!" He was dominant in his stance with unshakable reserve as he advanced. "But Shadow's out there on her own and I'm all the kid's got!" Makarov's gaze flickered with warmth as he watched the usually cold dragon slayer spark with life. "We've been through worse and I've always managed to drag her back out of the danger zone so just shut up and let me bring her back, damn it!"

.

After a contemplative moment of silence, Makarov closed his eyes in dismissal. "Very well," he reluctantly agreed. "As soon as you find her, I expect you to report right back to this very spot. Are we clear?"

.

Gajeel stared back at him silently for a long moment before nodding sharply in his direction. "Crystal…"

.

"I'm coming with you!" Lily assured him, taking flight after his hasty friend.

.

Makarov watched as the two stormed out of the guild fueled by their determination, but his gaze was quickly redirected to where Jet and Droy were carefully relocating Wendy and her Exceed companion. 'What kind of monster would do such a thing?' He thought dismally to himself. 'And what could they possibly hope to gain in doing so?'

.

* * *

.

"'Ok, now I know we're definitely lost!' The lady proclaims in frustration." Horologium informed the remaining party members calmly.

.

"You're one to talk." Gray murmured dismally. "My feet are killing me."

.

"Quit your incisive whining you two!" Erza demanded impatiently, trekking close to Natsu's side. "Complaining about the situation is not going to resolve anything."

.

"Yea!" Natsu defended enthusiastically. "Besides, who said we're lost?!" He looked over to where Erza drew her sword swiftly, cutting through the air before she sliced into a nearby tree not far from Natsu's nose. Natsu paled, slowly turning to face where her blade had notched the tree.

.

"For starters," Erza started impatiently. "This is the fifth notch I have made in this particular tree." Their party fell deathly silent as Natsu's inquiry was answered.

.

"Awe, come on!" He defended urgently. "It's not my fault! This whole place just feels weird! It's like everything smells exactly the same!" He looked out over the landscape that looked relatively peaceful despite the ominous vibe it released. "It's screwin' up my sense of direction."

.

"Uh oh!" Happy whined. "Maybe we're caught in one of those freaky banana triangles!"

.

"'I don't think that's what they're called.' She mutters curtly." The celestial spirit relayed once more.

.

"Now that you mention it, this place does have a strange feeling to it," Gray admitted coolly. "Everything's pretty peaceful on the surface, but it still feels like… death."

.

"Oh yeah, 'cause you'd know what death felt like." Natsu quipped back impatiently.

.

"It's just an expression, moron!"

.

"That's enough you two!" Erza scolded intolerantly. "I suggest we try and put some serious thought into our situation before it becomes any more unsettling!"

.

Lucy sighed and climbed out from inside her clock spirit to join her friend's sides. "Thanks for the lift Horologium. Take a break." She suggested, raising his key in front of her with a soft, appreciative smile.

.

"As you wish, Miss Lucy." He crooned with a small bow, fading into light before her.

.

Lucy turned to face her friends with a delighted giggle. "Boys and their directions." She cooed. "If we really were lost, all you had to do was say so!" She thrust a silver key into the air in declaration. "Open gate of the com-"

.

"Hmhmhmhmhn… I'm afraid that little trick won't help you, my dear."

.

Natsu whirled on his heels to face the rear of their group, his gaze wide and uncertain. "What? Who said that?!"

.

"Show yourself!" Erza demanded, equipping one of her swords at the ready. She flinched when a man emerged from what seemed to be thin air not far from where she stood.

.

"Now, now, children. There's no need to raise your defence at the moment." Karua narrowed his gaze in on the anxious fire dragon slayer that glared at his intrusion warily. "Surrender the dragon slayer of flame and I will spare the rest of you any further intrusion." Natsu's eyes widened, his vacant gaze trembling apprehensively.

.

"Get a grip, man!" Gray shouted suspiciously. "Like we'd really hand him over just like that!"

.

"Yea!" Lucy demanded enthusiastically. "Gray's right! There's no way we'd sell him out to the likes of you."

.

"Oh come now, little miss. You don't even know me." Karua crooned sinisterly. "I could be a fine gentleman and here you are saying all these terrible things about me. But if we shall start, my name is Karua. And what a pleasure this is..."

.

"What do you want with Natsu!?" Erza demanded, dropping her blade in line with the man in authority. "Tell us!"

.

"N-no way…"

.

Erza turned quickly to where she could stare down Natsu's darkened expression, his clenched fists trembling at his sides.

.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Lucy cooed worrisomely.

.

"Do you know this clown?" Gray added in suspicion, carefully monitoring the situation.

.

"Maybe he has a tummy ache…" Happy mewled in concern.

.

"Where. is. Wendy?" Natsu rumbled fiercely, raising his gaze sharply with a dark and vehement flash of his reptilian pupils. "Tell me what you've done with her!"

.

Erza fled backwards uncertainly, her gaze tremulous as she observed their fiery friend. "Wendy?"

.

"How delightful…" Karua mused darkly, crawling around in the shadows like a serpent. "The nose of a dragon slayer really does live up to legend." He slowly slipped the vial from his cloak that contained the blood of the sky dragon. "Is this what you smell, boy?"

.

"Oh no! Carla!" Happy exclaimed in panic. "This guy must have attacked them!"

.

Pale and terrified expressions found the faces of their party as the crystal vial caught the dying rays of daylight narrowly breaking through the trees. "No! Wendy!" Lucy cried in utter devastation, throwing her hands against her lips.

.

"How could you just attack a little kid like that!?" Gray demanded furiously, his fists flexed at his sides.

.

"My master is a bit of a connoisseur of such things. He has taken to collecting only the finest samples as of late." Karua casually informed them, slipping the vial back into his cloak. His cool gaze flashed with malice "And that is why I have come for you, Natsu Dragneel."

.

"Your master collects blood?! What a creep!" Lucy wailed in panic.

.

Karua wagged his finger from side to side. "My, my, your golden locks are showing." He crooned, flashing open his cloak to reveal three other samples alongside Wendy's. "Not just any blood will do."

.

"I thought as much…" Natsu rumbled darkly. "I wasn't sure at first, but I am now. Cobra's in there too."

.

"What!?" Gray demanded in surprise. "You mean that snake guy from the Oracion Sais?!"

.

"Yea…" Natsu rumbled darkly. "This guy's after dragon slayer blood."

.

"How very intuitive."

.

"What on earth could someone possibly want with such a vile collection?!" Erza rattled out in demand, her reserve wavering in concern.

.

"Now, my dear, you can't honestly expect that I would reveal such imperative information to you."

.

"This guy ain't gonna talk!" Natsu informed her sternly, his fist lighting up at his side as he started his charge towards their enemy. He leapt into the air, a determined look on his features as he drew his hands back behind his head. "I guess I'll just have to beat it out of you then!"

.

"Natsu!" Erza raged impatiently.

.

"Fire dragon-"

.

"Hellfire's abrasion – black rain."

.

Natsu's eyes widened as the sky darkened around them, black flames extinguishing his own as it rained from the sky. He cried out in agony as he was struck hard to the ground beneath the dark bursts of acidic flame.

.

"Natsu!" Happy wailed, taking flight through the air. "I've got y-" Happy's rescue was quickly interrupted when he was also struck mid-flight. Shortly after his attempt, he was forced earthbound once more at his partner's side.

.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Gray demanded, throwing his hands together decisively. "Ice-make lance!" Erza winced as Gray's agonised cries joined Natsu's beneath the rain of dark flame.

.

"Oh no, Natsu! Gray!" Lucy cried out in panic. She caught her breath as she watched one of the dark flames plummeting towards her. Erza turned her attention Lucy's way, batting a number of the fireballs away at the tip of her sword.

.

"Lucy! Get out of the way!" She called frantically.

.

Lucy closed her eyes tightly and covered her face, but when the dark flame struck her, it fizzled out without so much as a whisper of pain against her skin. She gasped, eyes wide as she drew her hands back and looked down at where the violet shadows faded from her skin. "W-what just happened?"

.

Karua's gaze narrowed vindictively. "Ah, how inconvenient… We have ourselves a holder type wizard…"

.

Erza flinched as another agonised cry of pain emitted from the battlefield while Natsu was struck again. "I don't understand. Why didn't the strike affect Lucy!?" She lunged forwards towards Natsu and Gray who were both writhing against the earth in agony. "Re-quip!" She bellowed, lighting up the forest with her transformation. Leaping between the boys, she raised her pike into the air, adorning her lightning empress armour. "Hang on you two!" She assured them, sending bright charges into the sky to cancel out the flames. Her gaze widened quizzically when the lightning was fizzled out against the dark flames. "No! But I deflected them so easy with my swo- Ah!"

.

"Erza!" Lucy cried, listening to the stricken wizard's pained screams as she collapsed to the earth between Natsu and Gray. She flinched, watching another strike vanish against her skin. "Why am I the only one that's not affected?!"

.

"Now then…" Karua rumbled in triumph, sending another volley of dark flame into the air. "I have business to attend to, and I don't feel like being put off schedule by a group of nuisances such as you." He laid his hand out at his side and gathered shadows beneath his palm. "Reaper's shadow; rogue."

.

Lucy's gaze trembled as she watched the flicker of creation form beneath his palm in the shape of a dagger. "Natsu!" She cried, watching him writhe on the ground with another painful hiss thanks to the flames raining from the sky. "No! This is wrong! Flames shouldn't hurt Natsu! They should make him stronger!" Her breath caught as she watched Karua approach and she quickly drew her whip from where it settled against her waist. "I don't think so buddy!" She cried, snapping the leather at her side.

.

Karua growled impatiently as Lucy's whip curled around the wrist he had clutched his dark weapon in. "I don't have time for your games, girl." He hissed, allowing the dagger to fade. "Reaper's shadow; ringmaster!" Lucy cried out when she narrowly dodged the snaking of his own whip, shadowed blades weaved throughout the dark form.

.

"Not good!" She cried, rolling across the earth to escape his strike. She quickly drew Leo's key from her ring, throwing it into the air. "Open! Gate of the lion!" She closed her eyes and focused on opening his gate. "Leo!"

.

"A celestial wizard…" Karua rumbled impatiently. "That explains her immunity to my hellfire."

.

Loki appeared before Lucy, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "This the guy whose butt I have to kick?"

.

"Yea! And let's try to make it quick!" Lucy demanded fiercely. "Natsu and the others are in serious trouble!"

.

"On it." Loki purred affectionately. "Regulus impact!"

.

Karua's gaze narrowed vehemently as his patience wore thin. "Expel devastation!" He roared, a black wave washing over the forest. Loki threw his hands up against his face in preparation for the counter that seemed relatively ineffective.

.

"What the heck?" He exclaimed in confusion. "Well, that was unexpected."

.

"Loki! We have to get rid of this darkness!"

.

"It's a good thing that lighting the place up is my speciality." He mused, bringing his hands together. "Lion brilliance!"

.

Lucy shielded her eyes from the light with a soft whimper. When the smoke and darkness had cleared, Karua had vanished. "He's gone?" She started sceptically, approaching Loki's side.

.

"Didn't take him long to turn tail," he mused. "You think you can take things from here?"

.

"You bet." She assured him softly, watching her friends as he faded to golden light at her side. She quickly ran to their sides, dropping among them worrisomely. "Erza! Gray!" She knelt next to Natsu's side and gently shook his shoulders. "Natsu, come on wake up!"

.

"Damn…" Gray coughed out weakly, stirring alongside her. "What the heck did he do to us?"

.

"Gray! You're awake!" Lucy quickly turned and assisted him in setting up. "I have no idea what just happened." She admitted in confusion. "I wasn't affected by any of his attacks, and neither was Erza until she re-quipped into her lightning empress armour to try and dispel the flames."

.

Gray raised his hand to his head with an exhausted sigh. "Man, that was weird… It was like he sucked the magic right outta me."

.

"Really? I didn't feel a thing?" She added suspiciously. They both turned to where Erza started to cough weakly at their side. "Erza!"

.

Erza sat up weakly, re-quipping into her standard armour before them. "Natsu…" She started weakly. "Is he alright?"

.

Lucy nodded and took Erza's arm to help steady her. "He's unconscious, but that guy ran before he got what he was after." She assured her confidently. "How are you feeling?"

.

"Drained…"

.

"Same," Gray added.

.

As the three conversed among themselves, Happy was stirring nearby, his body weak with exhaustion. "Natsu…" He murmured softly, slowly adjusting so that he could face his partner. "Are you alri- WAH! NATSU!"

.

Erza, Lucy and Gray whirled to face a devastated Happy as he crawled to Natsu's side. "Happy, you're awa-" Lucy's gaze trembled in panic as she watched blood pool beneath their unconscious dragon slayer. "No! I was just by his side a minute ago! He was fine!" She demanded, scrambling towards him alongside Happy.

.

"That snake…" Erza hissed venomously. "He was hiding in the shadows to make it look like a tactical retreat…"

.

"Keep your guard up, Lucy!" Gray warned her. "He could be anywhere!"

.

"Natsu! Natsu please wake up!" She begged in utter panic. "Natsu!" She flinched as a hoarse cough escaped the wounded slayer. "You're awake!"

.

"Ow, man. That jerk!" Natsu demanded impatiently, lurching forwards. "Where is he?! I'll kick his teeth in!"

.

"We think he's gone." Erza started solemnly. "He got what he wanted…" They all followed Natsu's gaze as he turned to look down at his arm, blood seeping from the centre of his Fairy Tail guild mark where he had been impaled. "I think he's sending us a message."

.

"What do you think he wants with dragon slaying wizards?" Lucy whimpered out softly, beginning to treat Natsu's open wound.

.

Erza shook her head in contemplative silence. "I don't know… but whatever it is, you can bet it's going to be troublesome."

.

* * *

.

She had no idea the world was so small, or perhaps it was just hard for her to comprehend how far out of her way she'd wandered. She couldn't understand what hand fate and/or luck had in store for her, but whatever it was, she was ready to face the crimson flicker of Marionette's weathered guild flag as she stood alongside it. She looked out over the barren landscape before her beneath the rise she stood upon. "My father is down there somewhere…" She whispered softly. "I just know it…"

.

She flinched as the darkening skyline morphed around the chasm, walls erecting from out of the shadows before her. In a matter of moments, Marionette's vast fortress stood before her with the dropping of the concealment spells it had used to contain its secrets. "That's it…" She whimpered. "The dark guild Marionette."

.

Her feet were heavy as they guided her to the front gates of the massive guild. She had never seen anything like it before, a guild of such magnitude. She knew in her heart that the only hope she had for saving her last blood-related relative existed only in the scheme she'd concocted on her way to the guild. Infiltrate and play the puppet. She raised her gaze in determination. 'Hang on, father, I will find a way to save you…'

.

 _"_ _My my, don't be shy my dear…"_

.

She recoiled back a step with her uncertainty as the smooth voice boomed around her, the gates before her swinging open. "Come right on in."

.

She forced a dry swallow down and took her first step into the fortress, not once looking back as the doors swung shut behind her. She padded down a long corridor, vacant and murmuring expressions lining the halls. Her diamond gaze kept alert as she advanced; sceptically waiting for the moment she needed to seep into the shadows in retreat. She came to the end of the passageway, a monumentally large room branching off from it.

.

She tipped her gaze to a thin, pale man sitting in what seemed to be a throne at the end of the room. With a settling breath, she approached. "I apologise for the intrusion, sir, but I seek a man that goes by the alias Puppet Master." She started uncertainly, cringing with the wicked twist in the man's lips. "I am… given to understand that he is this guild's master."

.

"Indeed I am." Puppet Master crooned devilishly from behind the brim of his wine glass. "My, what a brave little girl to come here all on your own. What is it I can help you with, my dear?"

.

Neirah slowly slipped her hood from her face and looked up at him confidentially. "I am here to join Marionette's roster." She informed him sternly. "I seek a darker advancement than what my current guild is capable of offering me." The curious and static hum of clamouring rose in her ears, but it still couldn't drown out the ache in her heart for the false words she spoke.

.

"How delightful…" The Puppet Master crooned affectionately, climbing to his feet. "To think that the Shadow of Fairy Tail has found her way to my doorstep," he crooned upon approach. "Have you finally realised that a shadow has no place in a light guild?"

.

"It would seem so, yes." She forced out through ragged restraint.

.

The Puppet Master drew up alongside her, laying a bony finger against her collar before drawing back the material of her cloak to reveal the dark lines of her guild mark over her left breast. "Then first we should wash this stain from your flesh and endow you with the proper insignia." He hissed through his sinister smile. It took all Neirah had to stay still as he circled her and wrapped his fingers around her upper arms; laying his chin against her shoulder. "Welcome to Marionette, sweet infinity."

.

* * *

.

Natsu slammed his hands down against the table, the echo of the impact reverberating through the quiet guild hall. "What do you mean _'no'_!? Did you not see what that creep did to Wendy!? We have to find him and make him pay!"

.

"Natsu's right!" Gray defended. "How can you let him get away with this!?"

.

"Trust me, Gray. That is the last thing I intend for." Makarov warned him sternly. "This dark guild that calls themselves Marionette, they will pay for the pain they have caused our dear Wendy." He looked up at them darkly, his arms folded over his chest. "But right now, we have to focus on keeping anyone else from falling victim."

.

"Don't you think Laxus and Gajeel can look after themselves?" Natsu defended. "Let's just find the guild and bust it up already!"

.

"Natsu!" Makarov roared impatiently. "Use your head, boy! There is obviously a reason that this guild is seeking out you dragon slayers. I have Levy and Mira back at the library trying to dig up a lead on sacrificial spells that would require something like this, but so far they've come back with nothing." He closed his eyes with a dismal groan. "I have no doubts that Laxus and Gajeel will be fine, but we can't risk them retrieving any more samples from you four."

.

"Wait…" Juvia cooed softly from alongside them. "Shadow… where is she?"

.

Makarov turned to face the anxious water wizard with a soft grunt of acknowledgement. "Gajeel stormed off and is searching for her as we speak."

.

"Oh dear…" She whispered gently. "I should have-"

.

"You are close to this girl as well?" Makarov mused suspiciously.

.

Juvia wrapped her arms around herself and diverted her gaze. "When she was still just a child, Shadow was badly injured by a group of thugs and Gajeel sent her back to Phantom Lord with Juvia while he took his revenge on them." She started, forcing Makarov's brow to furrow suspiciously. "That night… she told Juvia of how much she enjoyed the rain… She told Juvia that she would hope for her to become… like a big sister."

.

"That seems kind of strange to think about now that she's older than you." Gray murmured softly.

.

"Yes… but at the time, she was so young…"

.

"I feel like there is something you're not telling us, Juvia." Makarov started softly. "If you have any information about the happenings here, please tell us."

.

"Juvia is not sure if it will be much help now…" She started in a small voice. "But that night, when my sweet Shadow was just a child… I watched over her until her fever broke. While by her side… Juvia heard a strange man talking with Master Jose. Now normally, Juvia wouldn't eavesdrop… but they quite frequently mentioned Shadow's name."

.

"Do you have any idea of who the man was?" Lucy started softly in encouragement.

.

Juvia turned to face her with a stern nod. "Actually, Juvia knows exactly who he was because he returned several times after Shadow had left. His name was Karua."

.

"No! But that's the name of the man who attacked Natsu!" Erza exclaimed frantically.

.

"Please! There's more!" Juvia rushed out hurriedly, waving her hands up in front of her. "Juvia heard mention of the dark guild Marionette many times in their conversations. I have reason to believe that Master Jose may have also been a part of their operations."

.

"This is far worse than I thought," Makarov started, climbing to his feet. An image of a young Neirah's smile flashed in his mind, memories of the day she'd gifted him a picture of a young Laxus still fresh in his mind. "I have no reason to believe that Neirah is one of their targets. Now we must find Gajeel and Laxus and bring them back here at once."

.

"Wait… if Shads is a dragon slayer too, why wouldn't she be threatened?" Natsu started in confusion.

.

"Because I think she is far more important to them than a sacrificial offering…"

.

"Master!" Levy called, bursting through the doors.

.

"You're going to want to see this!" Mirajane called out, close to her side.

.

"Natsu…" Makarov started slowly. "They have already harvested their sample from you."

.

"Yea?" He started clumsily.

.

"I need you to bring the others back."

.

"Immediately would be good." Levy started in encouragement.

.

"Immediately." Makarov reiterated.


	6. The Dragon Hunter

**The Dragon Hunter**

.

.

The forest was dark and still as the Thunder Legion team wandered through it on their way back towards town. Rumours continued to circulate of the dangerous threat Marionette's actions posed to the dragon slaying community, and the thought made Freed uneasy. He kept a sceptical alertness about him as they walked, but as they grew nearer to the heart of the woods, his steps grew heavier with presentiment. "Laxus, I'm not certain that it is a good idea for us to be here..." He started uncertainly, checking the movement of shadows in his peripherals. "This is very close to where Wendy was attacked a couple days ago…"

.

"What's the matter Freed?!" Bickslow taunted manically, craning his head to one side with an impious smile. "You afraid of the dark?!"

.

"Freed the Dark's scared of the dark!"

.

"Scardy cat!"

.

"Scardy!" The totems floating around him taunted in sync with Bickslow's malevolent laugh.

.

"It's not like that!" Freed defended with a hot blush in his cheeks from their insults. "In case you've forgotten, Laxus is a dragon slaying wizard like Wendy and the others who have been attacked recently!" His brow creased darkly with his own implications. "And because of Fairy Tail's high number of dragon slaying wizards affiliated with the guild, it makes us a feeding ground for these dragon hunters. They're probably lurking somewhere very near…"

.

"Oh please," Evergreen started, batting her fan across her delicate features. "Even if someone did try to attack Laxus, do you really think he'd let them get away with whatever it is they're up to? If they had of attacked Natsu or Gajeel, I might've been concerned, but they went after a defenceless little girl." She cooed softly. "There's no way they would be so bold as to challenge the Thunder Legion."

.

"Ever's right, Freed." Bickslow agreed enthusiastically. "They'd have to be pretty dumb to try something now."

.

"Pretty dumb!"

.

"Yea - dummies!"

.

"Heh heh."

.

"You guys worry too much," Laxus mused confidently from where he walked ahead of their party, arms folded casually over his chest. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about their situation. "A clumsy kid trips on 'er face in the woods and suddenly someone's out for dragon slaying blood." Laxus threw one of his hands against his head and closed his eyes with enthusiastic laughter. "Seriously! My god do you guys hear yourselves?!" He turned to mock them some more, but when he opened his eyes to face them, his gaze fell on the empty forest. He drew in a hard breath and shifted his alarmed expression sharply from one side to the other, his gaze narrowing darkly. "Alright, very funny guys." He rumbled slowly, less than amused with their antics. He took a step back, the sounds of sticks cracking narrowing his gaze with his suspicion. Dark clouds of shadow started to creep heavily through the trees on approach, Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow nowhere to be seen. "Hey! I said cut it out!"

.

* * *

.

"Freed? Please tell me this is a joke." Evergreen mewled softly as the three backed into each other in observance of the shadows approaching from all directions.

.

"If it is, it is in very poor taste." He demanded uncertainly. "Laxus!?" He called out desperately, their dragon slaying leader nowhere to be seen.

.

"Hey, Laxus? Can you hear us?!" Bickslow added boldly. "Crap... This is so not cool..."

.

Freed drew his sword from his belt in preparation for an attack, a determined look crossing his features. "You two are lucky that this isn't the time for 'I told you so's." Freed murmured darkly, glaring into the shadows. "There can be only one explanation for our separation. It's obvious that this is the work of these dragon hunters." Three determined expressions flashed darkly as a figure started to step delicately from out of the shadows, the air growing cold and stagnant around them with their visitor's malevolent presence. "Our first priority is making it back to Laxus' side." He concluded, directing the tip of his sword towards the ground with an uncanny air of confidence.

.

"I'm sorry, Freed." A chorus of startled gasps cut the still air as the figure emerged before them, their resolves shaken with uncertainty as the creature raised its empty silver gaze to meet theirs. "But I can't let you do that..."

.

"No!" Freed exclaimed in panic, recoiling back a step with the dropping of his guard. "But why?!"

.

Somewhere from the safety of his guild hall, the Marionette guild master known simply as Puppet Master chuckled darkly and sipped a half full glass of red wine from the comfort of his throne. _"Because I can..."_ He mused whimsically.

.

* * *

.

"Bickslow?! Evergreen!?" Laxus continued to search nearby, but his efforts had grown futile. "Freed?! Where the hell are you guys?!" His breathing hitched as he scoured the land, the circles he walked in search of his teammates seeming to narrow unintentionally beneath his feet. "Damn… It's like they're not even in this world anymore." He stumbled backwards a bit as the shadows started to crawl away from his feet, an uneasy sense of vertigo overcoming him as he watched them shift the ground beneath. Sharp senses had him cutting his peripheral gaze in the direction of his attacker moments before their strike landed against him; and with incredible speed, he was shifting into the clear. His gaze narrowed as he looked out through the dust of a failed attack, forest debris scattering delicately around him as he straightened with a bitter scoff.

.

"Tsk, so the dragon hunter's finally come out to play, huh?" His expression narrowed vehemently in attempts to catch a clearer glimpse of his opponent, a dark flash in his cold steel gaze. "You've got some nerve showin' up here now." His once defiant demeanour shifted, unable to ignore the scent filling his chest with the steady breaths he took.

.

Sakura…

.

"I assure you, nerve has nothing to do with it." It wasn't long after the mechanical reply was uttered that Laxus' gaze was widening; the weight of realisation forcing his heart to sink with the impact of betrayal. He had had his theories about the attacks, but when a familiar feminine voice uttered the words dripping in honeyed malice, he would have given anything to be wrong.

.

 _"For who better to hunt dragons, then another dragon?"_

.

When the dust settled around them and still figures were revealed, his breath caught with utter disbelief. Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen rested against the earth in an unconscious heap, their wounds brutally severe. When he cut his gaze back to her, his attention was immediately drawn to a mark on her hip, the mark of their enemy and the dark guild Marionette. "No way..." He managed slowly from behind a twisted well of emotions, his heart racing with the adrenaline forcing him forwards. He closed his eyes and shook his head, hoping that when he opened them again, Bickslow would be laughing at Freed's illusionary triumph. But when he slowly opened his eyes, his brow furrowing with his fury, nothing but the sound of her final steps could be heard. "Neirah… what have you done?"

.

"What needed to be done," she mewled coldly, her expression eerily vacant.

.

Laxus threw his hand out in outrage, completely bewildered by her cold detachment to the reality at hand. "She was just a kid!" Laxus raged impatiently. "Not to mention a damn friend!"

.

 _"Don't be ridiculous." The Puppet Master spat out impatiently, swishing his wine around in his glass. "Such a frail child doesn't warrant such an honour."_

.

Laxus flinched hesitantly and watched Neirah's empty expression waver most subtly.  
"You, on the other hand, will not be so easy to fell." Her gaze cut narrowly towards him as she stepped over his friends' bodies.

.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean!?" He demanded heatedly.

.

"Ah yes, Makarov's rebellious little prodigy." Laxus' blood boiled with the sound of Neirah's honey sweet voice letting the words slide so delicately past her lips, words that were so unlike her own. "Reaper's shadow... rogue." She whispered almost inaudibly. He stilled as he watched the shadows beneath her palm form a shadowed dagger against her grip with her whimsical sigh. "His precious grandson's blood will make a most valuable addition to our collection." His stomach rolled when the delicate woman slid her tongue along the blade, her void persona and empty eyes haunting as they stared back at him. "He'll pay for his audacity."

.

"It can't be..." He rumbled softly, diverting his gaze from her spectacle. "I know she's never gotten along with Evergreen… and we've had our fair share of shortcomings…" He shook his head and listened to the words she had offered on repeat; unable to believe that her voice was her own. "But Neirah always called me by my name…" He growled in conclusion. His gaze flashed as he raised his attention back to her with a furious shout. "And she would never put her brother on her hit list!"

.

"My, my; temper, darling." She mewled softly, laying one set of fingers across her lips. "You seem to be in denial. But let me assure you that the ever-precious iron dragon is not on this particular list." She curled her head to one side with a bashful smile. "That honour is all yours. It takes a real woman to handle all that man."

.

Laxus stumbled a step back, finding it harder and harder to deny that he was standing before Neirah in her truest. 'She knew exactly who I was talking about… I wasn't sure at first…' His gaze trembled as he watched her laugh playfully nearby. 'But that snarky, overconfident attitude is unmistakably hers…' His gaze narrowed darkly with his certainty as his lack of amusement showed in its fullest. 'And nobody has ever been so outwardly flattering…'

.

"Cooperate," she mused gently. "And I'll see to it that no further harm comes to your friends." He drew in a hard breath as the shadows weaved between her fingers before they returned to materialising in blade form against her palm once more. She knelt next to Evergreen and raised her head by a fistful of hair, laying the blade along her throat. "Complicate this process, and the three of them will never open their eyes again. Starting with Flutterbug."

.

"Why the hell are you doing this!?" Laxus demanded feverishly, trying to burn out the pain from his conviction. "If you were after me that's one thing! But they had _nothing to do with this_!" He watched carefully as the blade against Evergreen's throat started to tremble. "What do you want with me that was so important you had to go this far!?" His expression faltered when she climbed to her feet, the blade vanishing into soft violet smoke against her fingertips.

.

"Laxus…" She squeaked breathlessly. When her shadowed gaze was revealed to him from beneath heavy bangs, a glistening trail of tears trailed over the trembling swell of her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She whimpered weakly, lowering her gaze to the ground where wide eyes watched her tears fall around three broken silhouettes.

.

 _"How inconvenient..." The Puppet Master murmured dismally, watching the little whirlpool that he had created in his glass. "I suppose I've gone and resurfaced too many personal idiosyncrasies for her to remain entirely under my control, but such is the cost of accuracy." He lifted his hands to either side of him with a detached shrug. "Oh well, the damage has been done." His sharp violet gaze opened and glared fervently into the dark around him. "Come back to me, Shadow. We have work to do."_

 _._

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Laxus roared furiously, trying to force his concern for her to the back of his mind.

.

 _"Come along, my dear." Neirah's eyes widened with the sound of her new guild master's voice echoing in her mind. She threw her hands against her head with a cry of denial and took a step backwards in retreat. "Be a good girl and fetch me his blood."_

.

The horror of her struggle was observed before she raked her fingers decisively back through her hair with a shrill cry of determination. Upon releasing her hold on her head, shadows engulfed her hands and saw fit to materialise into a dark scythe at her side. "Reaper's shadow executioner!"

.

Laxus kept a close eye on her as she approached, but the moment he thought she would attack, he miss-stepped into a shadowed fake, allowing her to land her blow. "What the hell kind of magic is this?!" He demanded uncertainly, dodging the swift and vast strike of her blade. He cried out when she threw the blade into the soft earth in order to kick off the ground and focus on swinging her powerful kick into his side. She landed gracefully in a low stance before delicately sliding her scythe through the earth to send a rippling of shadow magic along the same trajectory her enemy had followed.

.

Moments before her attack landed, he threw up his guard and cut through the blast; finished with pulling his punches. With a dark little chuckle, Neirah threw her scythe up over her shoulder and cocked her hips to one side with a soft sigh. "A hunter needs to inherit a few new tricks so that she can successfully corner her prey." She mused softly, twisting her weapon around her body in anticipation of a counter strike.

.

"Keep talkin', princess." He hissed fervently, the glow of electrical strands wrapped tightly around his clenched fist. "I ain't nobody's prey!"

.

Neirah's cool silver gaze flashed despite her stillness as he approached, an impish smile on her lips as she waited for her moment to pounce. When the opportunity presented itself, she threw her scythe over his shoulder and let it sink into the ground. She used the momentum to propel herself out of his reach, her legs catching him around his neck upon passing. With a determined cry, she dragged him backwards and sent him flying into the forest at his back. Upon landing, she withdrew her scythe and whisked it through the air swiftly, the pain of its impact settling in after a silent moment in which time caught up to the speed of her retaliation.

.

She panted in one spot for a moment, gloating over her triumph with a sinister sneer. "What a regal occasion," she mocked confidently, her stance still braced low with the threat of his counterattack. "It's not every day that a princess faces off against a prince."

.

Laxus watched her suspiciously was he climbed to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth.

.

 _"Oh yes," the Puppet Master mused darkly, continuing to observe the whirl of wine in his glass. "Don't think I am unaware of your significance..." The Puppet Master's eyes widened at the sight that met his eyes and he had to struggle to keep a hold on his glass; coming close to losing the realisation that he was in no immediate danger of the lightning dragon's wrath._

.

Neirah threw her head back with a devastated cry, her shadowed scythe fading before it could hit the ground at her feet. She closed her eyes and clung to the arm Laxus had thrown around her throat, trying her best to avoid the static charge dancing beneath her fingertips. "Flattery isn't gonna get you anywhere this time," he rumbled fiercely. Neirah cried out with the charge of his attack before his hands were sinking into her flesh and dragging her up into his kick. "Now stop talking shit and tell me why you're DOING THIS!"

.

 _The Puppet Master's brow furrowed in dismay as he watched Neirah strike the ground, a flicker of life crossing her features with yet another hesitation. 'Interesting...' He thought humbly. 'It seems I have underestimated the connection she has with this boy. How inconvenient that such memories were spared these many years.' He expelled a languid sigh and set his glass down. "This must be a painful sight for you to see, my dear." He mused darkly. "Why don't you just give in to me so that I might spare you such heartache?"_

.

"N-n-o… I c-can't stop…" She warned Laxus through trembling breaths as she crawled back to her feet, shaking her head back and forth with her denial of her master's presence. Her pupils narrowed, her pearly gaze icing over cold and lifeless as shadows engulfed her petite figure. "Please, leave. I don't want to hurt anyone," she whimpered under her breath. "I-I can't bear the thought..."

.

Laxus scoffed arrogantly and defensively braced his stance. "You should have thought of that before you turned your back on the guild." His gaze flashed resentfully as he eyed her down and tried to void himself of any attachment he had ever had to her. "I'm not afraid of your abilities like the others..." He rumbled hoarsely, denying her his gaze. He ground his teeth and forced himself cold to her tears, snarling his warning darkly despite the weakened catch in her breath. "And I won't hold back because you used to be our friend!"

.

Neirah rattled tears free as she shook her head, trying desperately to deny her advance. "Please no-" Her whole body stilled and her gaze widened with the lifeless flicker of her control slipping. She whimpered with the feeling of her hands connecting, her spell casting out of her control. Her body trembled as she fought her actions, and her frustration stalled her activity just long enough for Laxus to land his blow. She cried out as she was thrown aside, trying to fight for control of her senses. She shuddered defiantly as she lifted herself from the dirt, one eye watching the battle of emotions raging inside her friend. "No... Please, not him... Don't make me fight _him_."

.

Laxus froze on his pass and listened to the deceptive mutterings of his opponent as she was forced to her feet. "I'm not gonna fall for it," Laxus warned her sternly. "Your head games won't work on me!"

Neirah cried out as the roar of the lightning dragon she'd once called friend sent her deeper into the forest, her body refusing to fight back. "I won't be your pawn..." She whimpered softly. "I told you I wouldn't fight my friends!"

.

 _"Don't be absurd, my dear," her master mused confidently. "This is not the boy you befriended fourteen years ago."_

.

Neirah's teary eyes widened as she watched the tension grow in her opponent. "How do you know about that...?" She whispered breathlessly, her mind clearing to the point of realisation.

.

 _With a dark chuckle, the Puppet Master tipped his fingers to his brow. "Anything you know, I know, my dear. And I can do what I want with this information. Let me ease your suffering."_

.

Neirah's gaze trembled for a long moment. "It was you… You rewrote my memories when I was young…"

.

"Get up, Neirah! I'm not done with you!" Laxus roared furiously.

.

 _"I can make you forget this whole conflict," he mused darkly, sipping his wine once more. "Get me what I want and I will make this all go away."_

.

"Don't you dare..." She growled haggardly in devastation, barring her teeth with her defiance as she shook wild tears from her eyes. "Don't you dare touch those memories!"

.

 _"You're starting to irritate me, girl." The Puppet Master growled impatiently. "I should caution you not to test my limits."_

.

With a low growl, she threw her head back and thrust her balled fists down at her side. "Throw down, Sparky!" She cried out in demand to interrupt the Puppet Master's voice in her head, glaring back at Laxus through her determination. "Take a good one for your pep squad because it's all you're gonna get!" She hissed vehemently.

.

Laxus shook away the phantoms of memories past and obliged her. "You're gonna eat those words, Little Lightning!" He warned in acceptance of her challenge.

.

"Good." She hissed submissively. The echo of the Puppet Master's tense fist striking his throne echoed in her mind even as thunder filled her ringing ears. She was frustrated when she struck the ground with her consciousness intact. 'Bite me, boss.'

.

 _"How DARE you defy me, you little witch!"_

.

Neirah ground her teeth with the impact of his attacks against her, but no matter how hard she tried to stay down, she couldn't. "No..." She whimpered bitterly. "How can I still stand...? Don't get up!" She struggled painfully, trying to keep from rising. She threw her head back with a furious cry of encouragement. "Is that all you've got?!"

.

'Damn it! Why won't she fight back!?' Laxus thought painfully to himself. 'She took out the Thunder Legion and that Wendy kid in cold blood! What is she tryin' to pull here!?' He looked down at his trembling hand, before flexing his fist decisively, sealing his eyes tight as he tried to deny her devastated whimpers. "Come on, Laxus..." He muttered softly to himself. "Keep it together!"

.

 _The Marionette guild master growled impatiently as he observed the brutal display from across the mountains. "So, you would rather suffer at his hand than forget that he ever existed? Is that what you want Neirah?" He crooned darkly._

.

"No..." She murmured softly, struggling back up to her feet against her will. "Yes... I-I can't decide..." She threw her hands up against her head and denied her gaze, grinding her teeth to avoid the words escaping her that weren't her own.

.

 _"You never could, could you?" He muttered with a disgruntled scoff. "Isn't that why you're here? Isn't that why you've come to me?" The Puppet Master sat quietly back at their guild, watching his minions as they carried out their missions. "I see Natsu has already fallen at your father's feet." He tapped his finger against his glass rhythmically. "I wonder how long it will be before he finds that brother of yours. He seems to be the last…"_

 _._

"No!" Neirah wailed moments before she was struck to the ground again. She cried out in agony as she toppled back into the debris she'd rose upon her entry, but nothing hurt more than the heated glare of a man she cared about more than she'd ever admit as he panted furiously before her.

.

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _I-" She forced her body still from where it had trembled uncertainly in order to take a step towards her visitor. "E-excuse me, sir?!" She shouted after him. She stilled when he paused mid-step in acknowledgement of her call._

 _._

 _"_ _Sir… Now there's one I haven't heard." Her heart stopped when he finally turned and offered her an indirect gaze over his partially turned shoulder. In her next moments, ghosts of her youth were shifting the perception of her reality._

.

* * *

.

"Stop it…" Neirah hissed softly, closing her eyes to focus on regaining her control.

"Neirah!" Laxus demanded in frustration. "You said you were here for me! Well, here I am!" Her heart ached as he threw his arms out to the side and stared her down with an intimidating fierceness.

.

* * *

.

 _Laxus scoffed lightly before swiftly drawing his hands from where they rested in his pockets, spreading them broadly open before her. "Go on then, take a good one because that's all you're gonna get." He demanded bitterly. "Don't think I don't know what this is about." He closed his eyes and dropped his guard. "I'm sure you're all just itchin' to-" The last thing he had expected was the feeling of her soft lips pressed against his cheek in a slow, gentle kiss._

.

* * *

.

"I won't fight him!" She cried out darkly, forcing the Puppet Master to sweat with his loss of control. "I refuse to be the one to hurt him!"

.

"Neirah, what's going on!?" Laxus demanded, left in the dark outside her thoughts. Hope warmed him for the slightest of moments as she struggled to rise, but he was quickly dismayed by her rejection as she raised her hand with the casting of black magic.

.

"We're trying to have a conversation here." Neirah rumbled clearly, sadness fading from her expression as it filled with hate. "Reaper's shadow ringmaster!" With an elegant flick of her wrist, her bladed shadow whip was sinking into his leg and taking him through the air before it saw fit to release him to plummet back to the earth mercilessly. Laxus cried out painfully with the intensity of an attack that seemed to take no effort on her part, his mind still racing with confusion.

.

"What the hell was that!?" He forced out unstably, narrowly keeping himself on his feet as he clutched his chest with an eerie sense of detachment. "That's not even her magic…" He watched her rolling around on the ground for a moment as he tried to analyse the situation. "It's not slayer magic at all…"

.

Neirah closed her eyes and tried her hardest not to see the pain that she'd just managed to cause her friend. "Please… make it stop…" She whimpered in heartbreak. "Laxus, stop holding back!" She screamed.

.

 _"How could you care about someone who so obviously despises you?"_

 _._

Neirah's gaze flashed back to normal just in time to see the attack before it struck her down again. Neirah whimpered softly and crawled to her knees, her fingers raking through the upturned earth with her resistance. "You... know... nothing!" She sneered through barred teeth.

.

 _"You're still the terrified child you were when your father left you. I can make you stronger. Defend yourself against this traitor! If he really cared about you, he wouldn't strike you so cruelly. Finish him and I will take the pain away like it never existed!"_

.

"It doesn't hurt..." She hissed lowly. "He could never... It's not what I want from him..." She admitted warmly, her tired mind trying desperately to hold onto the warmth of her memories.

.

"Get up and fight!" Laxus called out over the distance his last strike had put between them. "Why are you making this easy after everything you've done?!" He closed his eyes and shook his head in rage. "Don't make me feel like I'm the bad guy!"

.

 _"But he is..."_

.

"Shut up!" She cried out to the voices in her head.

.

"I won't! Not until you tell me why you're doing this!" Laxus demanded as if her comment was directed at him.

.

"I-"

.

 _"This game is boring me. You will disobey me no further." Neirah's mind blanked and all of her control was finally severed thanks to her fit of inner turmoil exposing her weakness to her master. A wicked grin curled his lips as he tipped his wine glass towards them in celebration. "How easy a weak mind falls into darkness..." He crooned softly. He slammed his empty glass down against his chair arm with a final order of termination. "Now destroy him."_

.

"Neirah...? Hey! I asked you a question!" Laxus watched the air move around her until violet beams engulfed her with the casting of her dark spells.

.

"Expel devastation." She spoke quietly, her mechanical voice void of emotion like it had been when she'd first met him in the woods. The forest darkened impossibly further, similarly to the eerie aura she had brought with her after attacking the Thunder Legion; and with a spell so unfamiliar he was helpless to avoid its strike. He recoiled bitterly with an agonised shout and went immediately on the defensive, noticing that Neirah had vanished entirely. He clutched open wounds, trying to conceal the pain that ripped through him for intimidation's sake.

.

"Finally stepping up huh?" He panted out raggedly. He cast his gaze high in hopes the clouds would pass and let the moon illuminate their playing field, but it seemed that was under the Puppet Master's control as well. "Why don't you stop hiding and-" He cried out in pain as she slipped out from behind him and landed a powerful blow, her scythe of shadow piercing as it struck his flesh in a merciless strike. He raised himself up, turning to look over his shoulder with a troubled expression when he saw that she had dissipated once again. It wasn't long before she had appeared once more, catching him with her scythe and raking him through the air before sending him plummeting into the ground with his friends.

.

 _"My, my; the tables turn quickly." Neirah remained unresponsive with the sound of her guild master's voice filling her head as she spoke his words. She rolled her head to one side before stepping out of the shadows. 'Now finish him.'_

.

"Black lightning..."

.

Laxus turned when he heard her start her attack, his body wracked with pain as he forced himself upright. He turned where he stood and brought his arms up in defence. "I'm not going anywhere! I'll meet you head on!"

.

"Shadow dragon's roar!"

.

* * *

.

Lucy flinched when the forest lit up with light, the ground shaking with the force of a battle ensuing nearby. "What was that!?" She exclaimed frantically.

.

"I don't know but there's only one person I know who can light up the night like that that ain't me," Natsu assured her swiftly, taking off running towards the fading light.

.

They wandered in on a battlefield of utter destruction. Uprooted trees and disturbed soil scarred the land, but what Natsu and the others didn't expect to see was the defeated laying among it. "No way, it was Laxus!"

.

"And he's out cold!?" Gray demanded feverishly. He threw his hand up in front of him, paling with the realisation that Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen had also fallen victim. "WHAT?! And he had those guys for back up!?"

.

"Who could have done this?" Erza forced out frantically, her eyes scouring the lands for the threat. "Laxus is one of the most powerful wizards of Fairy Tail. To see him like this..." Their attention turned to where Laxus had coughed out a hard breath, his fist clenching as he started to pick himself up off the ground.

.

"I'm really starting to wish we didn't come out here." Lucy rushed out in panic, observing the blood pooling beneath their dragon slaying friend.

.

"Natsu..." Laxus managed between broken breaths.

.

"Yea buddy?" Natsu assured him in comfort as he attempted to help him rise.

.

Laxus narrowed his unimpressed gaze darkly as he glared back at his guild mates. "What the hell are you doing here?" He snarled bitterly, raking his arm away.

.

"Hey! That's no way to talk to your rescue party!" He demanded in insult. Laxus drove his fist into the ground with a final expel of fury and used the force to brace himself as he slowly climbed to his feet. "Can you at least stop being a jerk long enough to tell us what the heck happened here?!" He flinched as Laxus clenched his fists weakly at his side.

.

"I could say it all I wanted, but I couldn't stop her." He murmured quietly, under the assumption that his battle had been observed. His heart weighed heavy with her betrayal so he forced out a defiant scoff, flexing his fist to try and make light of his failure.

.

"Stop who?" Lucy interrogated softly in concern.

.

Laxus closed his eyes, Natsu narrowly supporting him as he stumbled weakly forwards with the severity of his wounds. "Neirah."

.

* * *

.

"Ah yes, there's my little pupp-ette." Neirah cringed and denied her gaze to her guild master as she entered their retreat, tear stains marring her face. He reached out and slipped his finger under her chin, forcing her gaze into his despite her disgusted scoff of rejection. "How amusing to think that something so beautiful can be so absolutely deadly. You make us all proud."

.

Neirah tore away from his grip and closed her eyes, shoving a blood-filled vial into his hands. "If you touch me again, I won't hesitate to sever your limbs from your body." She quipped back vehemently.

.

"Is that so?" He cooed whimsically, admiring the sample she'd retrieved. "I think you seem to be forgetting that I own you."

.

She dropped her gaze in defeat, trying to hide the pain. "I only asked one thing. I would help you get what you want so that my father would be freed… but not at the cost of my friends' safety." She whispered before whirling to face him, throwing her arms down at her sides. "You didn't tell me that they were your targets!" She roared enigmatically.

.

"Oh, how cute, you think you know what end my means foretell. Regardless, my dear, you said friends but nothing of _lovers_." Neirah's tears scattered when she raised her head to observe her guild master tipping two fingers to his temple as he rolled his head to one side. "My, my; what an incredibly naughty little girl to be withholding such awfully guilty thoughts. Maybe you should have told him sooner."

.

He was a bit taken back when he was deafened by the sound of her open palm striking his face, but before he could retaliate she was already storming through the guild to her quarters. He fumbled with the vial in panic, trying desperately not to drop it, sighing with relief when it was safe in both his hands. He cut his gaze darkly down the corridor to where Karua was standing nearby in silent observance.

.

 _'_ _This little crush of hers is going to become irksome if he decides to interfere further. I can only hope that his confidence in the shrew is successfully shaken before what little control I have is severed entirely…'_

.

She threw her back up against a wall in the corner of her room, tears flooding her hands as she held them to her face and slid to the floor with a devastated howl. Her head ached with the powerful thumping of her breaking heart, her mind so corrupt with her uncertainty that it sickened her. 'How...how did I let this happen?!' She slowly opened her eyes and looked out towards the dank room she inhabited since joining the guild of her father. 'How do I know my father is really suffering like I am? How do I know it's not just all a waste of time? Hurting everyone else I care about... to save one...' Memories flooded her as her mind was left alone to wander with the vacancy her master had left. 'Fighting to save what few memories I have intact... Gajeel, Laxus...' She closed her eyes again and clutched her knees, tipping her forehead to the joint.

.

"Daddy... I don't know what's real anymore..."

.

* * *

.

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief. "You're sayin' that Shads is with those sick clowns who attacked Wendy!?"

.

"I won't believe it!" Lucy shouted out irately. "There must be some kind of mistake!"

.

"I saw her guild mark, on top of the fact that she tried to kill me." Laxus bit out in agony, agitated with the blonde's defensive wailing. "There was no mistaking that it was her." He rumbled softly in defeat, Mirajane tending his wounds back at the guild.

.

"But you're still alive." Erza pointed out slowly. "If Neirah had wanted to kill you, you would've been lying there with the rest of them. Even if she was somehow manipulated by their guild master, some of her must be in there or she wouldn't have held back. She wouldn't be suffering the conscience that kept you from fighting to your fullest."

.

"What are you saying? That Shadow's there against her will?" Natsu offered curiously.

.

Laxus tipped his exhausted gaze their way as they conversed, his heart aching as he replayed the events over in his head.

.

Erza dropped her head in reminiscence, a finger to her lips in thought. "We ran into one of Marionette's wizards earlier." Erza turned to face Laxus, who shifted his gaze immediately away. "From what I can tell, she is being manipulated by them for some reason or another. For whatever reason, she avoided battling you." She turned back to face Natsu. "I really think that Neirah is the victim here."

.

She flinched when Evergreen threw her hands down on the table across from Erza, Bickslow and Freed close behind her. " _SHE_ is the victim!?" Evergreen roared. "Tell that to the one who bled out beneath her cruelty!" She raged.

.

"Ever..." Laxus interrupted darkly.

.

"Don't you dare try to defend her!" She screamed in Erza's direction. "She is the one wh-"

.

"Well, what's all the commotion out here now?" Makarov interrupted curiously. "My, it looks like you four have been worked through pretty good." He observed curiously.

.

"Yes, and you wouldn't beli-" Evergreen's eyes widened as Laxus stood quickly and threw his arm around her neck, tightly covering her mouth.

.

"We ran into some of those Marionette menaces just outside of town." He rumbled slowly, his sharp peripheral gaze cutting towards Evergreen's furious expression struggling to expose the truth. "But they're in a lot worse shape than us, right boys?" Freed and Bickslow froze when his cunning gaze shifted their way.

.

"Er, right," Freed added clumsily.

.

"Whatever you say, boss," Bickslow added cautiously.

.

"Well, I'm glad you all made it back safe," Makarov observed, turning to walk back through the guild. "Stay strong, kids, we'll have answers soon."

.

When Makarov was finally gone, Laxus recoiled on the pain it took for him to stand and sat back down with a bitter curse. He grasped his wounds and ground his teeth, his ears ringing with Evergreen's screeching. "Why did you stop me!?" Evergreen wailed. "Why on earth are you DEFENDING HER!?"

.

"Pipe down, will you!?" Laxus snapped back darkly. "If you dare go runnin' your mouth, Marionette will be the least of your fucking worries!" He warned her seriously. He shifted his attention from a stunned Evergreen to the rest of the guild around him. "That goes for the rest of you too." He growled. "If any of you go squealing to the old man, I'll feed you to the wolves myself."

.

"Do you know something that we don't?" Erza started slowly with her suspicion. Laxus rested his elbows on his knees and stared into the floorboards as Mira continued to bandage him.

.

"Not enough..." He murmured softly.

.

Erza nodded her head once with a soft sigh of submission. "Very well then…" She turned her gaze back out towards the others. "Not a word." She ascertained. "Mira? When was the last time anyone heard from Gajeel?"

.

"Not since yesterday…" She whispered sorrowfully. "He and Lily are still out looking for his sister thinking that she's in danger of being attacked…" She dropped her head and stared at the floor with disdain. "Marionette's front gates would be the last place he'd look for her…"

.

"Right…" Erza started solemnly. "It's best he doesn't hear this either then. Nothing would stop him from forcing his way into their guild if he had this kind of information and I'm afraid the results would be catastrophic."

.

Levy groaned softly and tipped her gaze downcast with the sinking of her heart, twisting her hands in her shirt with unease. 'Please be careful, Gajeel…'

.

* * *

.

Gajeel silently observed an assortment of Marionette guild members as they crowded around an active communication lacrima. "Did you hear that, guys?!"

.

"Yea! That's the sixth dragon slayer!"

.

"So, the master only needs one more, right?"

.

"Yea and he thought he'd have problems with that lightning dragon slayer, heh! Guess not."

.

Gajeel's gaze widened in bewilderment, his palm starting to sweat as it braced his weight against the trunk of the tree he was perched in. "No fucking way! Did he just say lightning?"

.

"They must have attacked Laxus," Lily rushed out softly from the opposite side of the trunk. "He's the only lightning dragon slayer I know of." Lily's brow creased in thought. "It's worse than we thought if they've grown this bold. It would seem our theory was incorrect. Laxus had no connection to a real dragon whatsoever."

.

"This is bad..." He gasped out harshly. "These guys don't mess around…"

.

"I don't know, that fire guy went out swingin'! The only reason they managed to beat this other guy is 'cause they sent the hound in. He didn't stand a chance!"

.

"Yea, but if you ask me, having her around is dangerous… She used to be one of them."

.

"Don't be stupid, the master's got a tight leash on her!"

.

Pantherlily's breath caught and his eyes widened analytically as he listened to the fools beneath him howling with amusement. 'No!' He flinched when he heard the bark cracking beneath Gajeel's furiously tight grip on the tree. He turned to see the shadowed gaze of his partner as he trembled in rage. "Gajeel! We mustn't act rashl-"

.

"Too late!" Gajeel roared furiously, leaping from the tree.

.

"Gajeel!" Lily quickly followed him to the ground that shook upon the iron dragon's impact. He quickly took his battle form and drew his sword in defence, because as he suspected, Gajeel wasn't in the talking mood.

.

"Tell me where they're keeping her!" Gajeel demanded, throwing the Marionette guild members around like lifeless dolls.

.

"It's the iron dragon slayer the master has been looking for!"

.

Gajeel's crimson gaze flashed devilishly as he caught the man by his collar and raked him within conversing distance. "Ah, so he's lookin' for me huh?" He hissed darkly, throwing the man back to the ground to pin an iron sword against his throat. "Then I'll make this easy for him! Where is he hiding?! Tell me where he's keeping my sister!" To his dismay, the man simply rattled defencelessly at his feet, frozen in terror.

.

"Look, I'm sorry!" He whimpered desperately against the ground. "How was I supposed to know that she was your sister?!"

.

Gajeel's breath caught in reminiscence as phantoms shifted the appearance of his victim.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Look,_ _man, I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know she really knew a couple of dragons?!" His gaze flashed in acknowledgement of something nearby and in the next moment, his grip on the man's shirt was loosening._

 _._

 _Gajeel scoffed arrogantly as the snivelling coward begged forgiveness. "Well, now you know." He growled darkly, driving his knee into the man's gut before letting him fall desperately to the dirt. He turned away with an unsatisfied sigh. "And If I ever… catch you lousy chumps causing my kid sister trouble again…" He turned and glowered at the man unwaveringly. "Me and my dragon buddy are gonna come back and finish the job, you got that?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

"Wrong answer!" Gajeel snarled vehemently, raising his sword arm.

.

"Gajeel no!" Gajeel cut his gaze darkly to where he locked blades with Pantherlily above the only conscious Marionette wizard left before them. "If we're going to find this guild, we'll need his help." He reasoned diplomatically.

.

Gajeel glared back at him heatedly for a long moment, panting ragged breaths of fury as he tried to comprehend the diplomat's logic. "Fine…" He forced out after a long moment of silence. "But when we do, you stay the hell out of my way." Lily's features furrowed disdainfully with the pain he could sense rising within his companion. Their blades finally parted ways, leaving Lily to pant tentatively with the divulging of Gajeel's intensions. "Because I'm going in for his blood… and I ain't leavin' until I spill it."

.

* * *

.

Laxus ran his fingers through his hair, a dismal sigh of defeat on his lips. 'She needed me… and I let her down…' He dropped his balled fist from his head to the table, the percussive bang reverberating through tired, numbed senses. 'Why does that hurt?' His next breath trembled upon its expulsion with his devastated sigh. "I didn't figure it out soon enough…"

.

* * *

.

 _His vision was distorted as he struggled to get his palms beneath him, but soon, picking himself back up didn't seem like an option. He shifted his hazy gaze towards where Neirah had dropped to her knees at his side, tears soaking the earth inches from where his hand laid before her. Shakily, he raised his gaze to hers, observing her widely pained stare. He remained still and silent before her with no idea how to react to her presence._

 _._

 _"I'm s-so... sorry..." She squeaked out softly, starting to tremble more fiercely with the realisation of her actions. "P-protect... the others..." She warned him through a new, hot wave of tears. "Gajeel… and the other dragon slayers..." He watched sadly as her trembling fingertips crawled over the dirt weakly with her fight for control before she finally managed to slide her fingers haphazardly between his. "Laxus…" She squeaked out sadly, her fingers still shaking with the efforts offered by her battle-weary figure. "Don't let them get… Gajeel…"_

.

* * *

.

Out of the silence, his fist grew so tight that he couldn't stand it. He stood swiftly, upturning the table in the process before throwing his fist out with a furious roar of anguish. "Why the fuck can't I remember her?!" He didn't wince until after he'd realised that he put his fist through the wall at his side, the blood falling to the floor slowly as he kept it still.  
.

"Why me…?" He forced out unsteadily, tipping his forehead towards the wall as he slowly removed his fist from the broken boards. "I'm not invincible…" He whispered silently. "I can't be your hero…"

.

Laxus flinched with the clearing of his senses, his blood chilling as he whirled around to face the stern expression of his grandfather watching him silently nearby. He let his features ice over disdainfully as he turned away with a disgruntled scoff. "You got a problem, old man?" He hissed defiantly, diverting his attention.

.

"You seem awful hot over a battle you claimed victory over," Makarov observed quietly. Laxus grimaced impatiently with the sarcasm dripping off the old man's lips. As quick as he thought he was, Makarov was always one step quicker and liked to remind him of it. His master already knew that he'd been devastated by Marionette's ultimate weapon. He'd been devastated by it since the moment she'd called him sir.

.

"Listen, I don't need this crap from you right now!" He turned and picked his jacket up off the floor before starting to walk away, ending their conversation.

.

Makarov's brows furrowed dismally as he stared into his grandson's back. There wasn't an ounce of delicacy in the man's words as he spoke them. "I don't know what has sparked between you and Neirah as of late, but it must end now."

.

Chilled didn't even begin to describe the feeling overcoming Laxus before seething rage overtook it and had his widening gaze tipping over his shoulder. "What did you just say…?" He hissed venomously.

.

"You heard me." Makarov reiterated, his resolve unshaken.

.

Although he desperately wanted to demand an explanation, Laxus instead clenched his fist furiously in his coat and turned back away. "You knew that they had her all along." He confirmed bitterly.

.

"Along with a pretty good idea of what they want with you." His breaths trembled as he forced them to keep escaping; his head light and reeling with curiosity. "Laxus, if this turns into a war, I need you on our side." Makarov froze when he heard Laxus' scoff turn into a distant and amused chuckle from where he had his back to his grandfather.

.

"You know, it's funny," Laxus started slowly, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. "When I was a kid, all I wanted was for someone to call me by my own name..." Makarov's brows creased sternly when Laxus' casual expression met his from over the boy's shoulder. "Neirah does that." He locked gazes with Makarov for a long moment before he scoffed and turned away. "Figures it'd take a Shadow to get me out of yours…"

.

Makarov's heart sank as he watched Laxus casually stride away, hiding unbearable pains both physical and emotional. "Foolish child…" He whispered softly, watching the blood run down the boards that Laxus had split with his rage. "Of all the times you could've chosen to forfeit your selfish tendencies…"

.

* * *

.

"So, this is the place?" Gajeel rumbled fiercely, standing out over the cliff's edge next to Pantherlily. "Looks like a whole lot of dead land."

.

Lily nodded his head sharply. "The guild is under a form of concealment magic," Lily assured him swiftly. "Our informant says that beneath that ravine there is an escape cavern. We can infiltrate from there." Gajeel's crimson gaze narrowed with his determined spark of adrenaline.

.

"Then that's where we're goin'…" He took off down the mountainside silently, Lily faithfully close alongside him. 'If anything happens to that kid, Karua, death will look like mercy when I'm through with you.'

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Would you look at that…?" The Puppet Master mused sadistically with a whimsical chuckle. "The prey has come for the hunter." He slid his long fingernails over the surface of a large lacrima crystal filled with blood, a sadistic smile curling his lips. "It's almost time, my dear."_


	7. The Blood of Dragons

"How many damn guilds do I gotta tear apart for this kid?" Gajeel mumbled distantly as he overlooked the dead earth that lay before him. The ravine was broad that led to what they assumed was the escape tunnel their prisoner had divulged in so they scoured the land tirelessly with faith in their informant. It was the only hope they had at gaining the advantage over their enemies.

.

"Do you have a plan?" Pantherlily inquired swiftly, following Gajeel's steady advance through the quarry.

.

"Yea… Infiltrate, break heads until someone squeals on their boss and tells me where they're keepin' 'er, then bring the brat home so I can kick her ass myself." Gajeel grumbled impatiently.

.

Pantherlily sighed in exasperation, his wings softly flapping behind him. "Right… In other words, wing it." He shifted a concerned gaze Gajeel's way. "So, you're not even the slightest bit curious as to what they want with her?" He watched a dark expression cross Gajeel's face as the man looked out towards their target.

.

"Nope," he admitted bluntly.

.

Believing that at least his companion's heart was in the right place, he silently assured himself that he would seek answers on the guild's behalf. It couldn't have been just for fun that Marionette was hunting dragon slaying wizards. Lily stalled alongside Gajeel when the iron dragon came to a halt in front of a massive door, his brow furrowing in vexation. "Any ideas on how we're gonna get through that gateway?" Lily challenged, eyeing up the obstructive monstrosity in dismay.

.

A wicked grin found Gajeel's face as he glowered at the door with the challenge. "You kiddin'? Wreckin' shit's what I do best." He assured Lily confidently, pumping his iron fist with enthusiasm. "They're gonna have to do a little better than rock an' steel if they wanna keep me out."

.

 _"Now, now, gentlemen."_

.

The friends froze with the sudden presence of a smooth voice echoing around them in the ravine.

.

"What was that?" Lily demanded feverishly.

.

"Sounded like a rat..." Gajeel growled distastefully, raising his guard.

.

 _"There is no need for violence."_ The voice mused slowly. The companions flinched as the ground started to rumble at their feet with the opening of the gates before them, a cool gust of air rushing past them with the dank scents of the underground. _"Please; do come in so that we might discuss this situation in a civilised manner."_

.

"How suspicious that he was expecting us..." Pantherlily's gaze narrowed on the tunnel that had opened willingly to their advance. "Is it Karua?" He quipped out swiftly.

.

"The cocky attitude sure is familiar. These freaks are all pretty confident in whatever they're scheming." Gajeel grumbled, throwing his fist up towards the path that had opened before them. "Karua! If that's you, you'd best be sayin' your prayers, you son-of-a-bitch!"

.

 _"You may simply refer to me as the Puppet Master, the founder of all you see before you."_ Gajeel and Lily flinched backwards as a great fortress appeared in their peripherals not far from the ravine, crimson Marionette flags scattered throughout the towers that touched the sky.

.

"No way! It's huge!" Pantherlily exclaimed in disbelief.

.

"That's their freaking guild?!"

.

 _"Welcome to the dark guild Marionette, my friends." The voice mused in conclusion, his hands spreading broadly from his throne with a dark, triumphant chuckle._

.

"There could be hundreds of members hauled up in that fortress." Lily offered in concern.

.

"Yea, but it could also be one guy just waitin' for someone to call his bluff." Gajeel offered optimistically, narrowing his gaze with a low growl.

.

"Gajeel, I don't think it's wise for us to advance on our own," the Exceed tried to reason with the man but failed miserably in the attempt. "We should return and let the others know our intentions."

.

"We don't need 'em!" Gajeel roared, powering towards the opened gates. "Shads might not have a lotta time! I ain't wastin' it!"

.

"You know this is obviously a trap, right?!" Lily defended one last time, chasing after him.

.

Gajeel scoffed lightly before the light faded around him with their entry of the tunnel, a reluctant Lily loyally on his heels. His expression was determined and his resolve unshakable as he heard the gateway close behind them. "Yea and I intend on springin' it."

.

.

 **Battle Against Dark Arts; the Blood of Dragons**

.

.

Levy couldn't contain her anxiety as she watched the other guild members pace in anticipation of their iron dragon's return. "Guys, I'm really worried about Lily and Gajeel..." She admitted sheepishly, a balled fist tight to her chest. "They've been gone a really long time."

.

"I actually share your concern." Erza agreed softly from where she was braced against a pillar nearby. "The more I think about the situation, the more I worry that he has found Neirah. He wouldn't take her misguidance lightly."

.

"Well if he's found her then there's no reason they shouldn't be back yet," Natsu added sceptically, attracting Erza's attention. "He'd beat that clown out of her for sure!"

.

"Don't be so sure..." Erza added softly. "You saw what Neirah was capable of doing to Laxus and the Thunder Legion. If Neirah struck again, those two wouldn't stand a chance."

.

Levy held her hand to her lips with a gentle whimper.

.

"No... She wouldn't..." Wendy murmured softly. "Would she…?"

.

"Come on, Erza! Laxus is one thing, but Neirah would rather die than hurt her big brother!" Lucy defended enthusiastically.

.

"Does that thought comfort you?" Erza rumbled slowly in defence, tipping her gaze towards where Lucy recoiled with her insinuation.

.

"Actually, now that you mention it, no..." Lucy murmured distantly. "It's so cruel… Why are they making her fight her friends…?"

.

"ErrrAH! I can't just sit around here like this!" Lucy turned to face a rampant Natsu as he raked his fingers through his hair. He threw tense fingers out in frustration, his forearms flexed with his body's strain. "How long are we gonna wait before we go out there and bring them back!?"

.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Natsu's right, Erza," Gray muttered distantly, joining their conversation. "Even if Gajeel and Lily are strong, Neirah completely trashed the entire Thunder Legion on her own. Those guys are gonna need back up." He concluded, flexing a fist at ready.

.

"Oh, Gray you're so brave!" Juvia swooned affectionately, clasping her hands together in front of her chest as she swayed her hips from side to side. "You know how much Juvia's Shadow means to her and you just want to see her safely returned to Juvia's loving embrace." Stars danced in her eyes as she neared him with open arms. "Speaking of loving embraces, my darling." She flinched as Gray casually stepped forwards and she unsuspectingly fell to the floor when her arms became empty with the anticipation of his presence.

.

"I don't know about you, but I think that jerk Karua deserves a beat down for what he did to Natsu. Even if he is Neirah's father, we can't just let them get away with what they're doing!" Lucy encouraged enthusiastically. "What do you say, Erza?"

.

Erza closed her eyes and smiled before shifting her gaze to the rest of her team. "I say what are we waiting for? The master said that it needed to be done so let's do it." She proudly observed Natsu, Lucy and Gray as their determined expressions flashed confidently before they headed through the guild doors.

.

"Be careful you guys!" Levy begged desperately, calling out after them. She flinched when a tiny sky dragon slayer rushed past her with a breathless grunt of exasperation. "Wait, Wendy?!"

.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She cried, Carla chasing after her irksomely.

.

"Huh? What's the matter, Wendy?" Natsu inquired softly, pausing to turn and face the child. Wendy lifted her hands from where they were resting against her thighs and displayed determined fists.

.

"I want to come with you!" She demanded, causing a disapproving gasp from her Exceed companion.

.

"Don't be foolish, child! You were already attacked once by these monsters!" Carla defended heatedly. "I cannot allow such reckless behaviour!"

.

"Shush Carla! They're going to need all the support they can get! Besides, the master said that they already got what they needed from me so there's no need for them to attack me again!" Wendy demanded sternly. "I want to help protect the other dragon slayers! They would do the same for me!" Wendy turned back to face Natsu with a determined smile. "Right!?"

.

Natsu offered her a broad reassuring grin as he displayed an encouraging thumbs-up. "Hell yea!"

.

Levy sighed with a soft smile as her heart warmed with reassurance. "With Natsu out there, they'll make it back for sure!" She inhaled sharply as her gaze fell on a large and observant silhouette watching them leave from where his shadow lingered in front of the guild. "Laxus…?" She whimpered softly.

.

'I'm countin' on you, Natsu.' He thought bitterly, his bandaged arms folded over his chest as he watched the wizards disappear over the horizon. 'Don't screw this up.'

.

* * *

.

Gajeel kept a careful eye on the shadows offered by the dimly lit sconces lighting the tunnel. He had no doubt in his mind that the better part of the guild members in Marionette were shadow magic users, but that wasn't even the worst of his worries.

.

* * *

.

 _"Gajeel!" Gajeel flinched as Juvia called out his name and rushed to his side upon leaving the guild. "There is something you must know about this guild that has been attacking dragon slayers." She hurried out in secrecy. "Back when we were a part of Phantom Lord, Master Jose was often seen conversing with a man by the name of Karua who was marked in affiliation with this guild."_

 _._

 _Gajeel's expression flashed at attention as he turned to face her. "S'A little late to be tellin' me this now!" He rumbled darkly._

 _._

 _"Juvia knows and she is sorry. Juvia first noticed it the day you asked her to care for young Shadow. Juvia kept a close eye on them ever since." She admitted sheepishly. "But we just got word that a dragon slayer imprisoned by the magic council was attacked and Juvia can't help but feel like Master Jose may be a part of what's happening with the dark guild Marionette," Gajeel grunted in acknowledgement and turned away, his fist flexing tight at his side. "Juvia is afraid that our Shadow might be in terrible danger... Please, be careful!"_

.

* * *

.

'If what Juvia said is true, there ain't no tellin' what's lurking around down here...' He thought humbly. 'Karua...' He flexed his fist and ground his teeth, forcing Lily's attention with the aggravated shift in Gajeel's demeanour. 'You the messenger or the mastermind...?'

.

"Gajeel, I think I see something up ahead." Gajeel shifted his gaze darkly to where the tunnel ended and delivered them to what seemed to be a courtyard of sorts. "Wait, I think I see someone!" Lily exclaimed. "It must be the Puppet Master and-!"

.

"And Shadow!" Gajeel roared bitterly.

.

"She's unconscious!" Lily observed in panic, the lifeless and battered girl held by her hood at the Puppet Master's hip.

.

"Let her go!" Gajeel demanded heatedly, storming towards the courtyard from inside the tunnel. Lily's breath caught, his heart sinking dreadfully as a large man appeared out of thin air alongside the overzealous iron dragon.

.

"Gajeel! Wai-" Lily recoiled as Gajeel was blindsided by a familiar ally obviously under the Puppet Master's control. "No, Gajeel!" He leapt forwards in the iron dragon's defence taking his battle mode with a sword in hand as Gajeel slowly tipped his gaze to where Aria loomed over him; defending against Lily's counterstrike. His breath caught sharply with his confusion as the member of the disbanded Element Four lingered.

.

"No… way..." He forced out raggedly, struggling to raise his head from where it had struck the ground. "I know that spell… Aria... what the hell are you doing here... working for these freaks?"

.

"You know this wizard?" Lily demanded swiftly, backing away from the target with a furious curse.

.

"Knew..." Gajeel rumbled weakly in correction, stumbling forwards into Lily's support. "But this ain't the same guy who was part of the Element Four back then... cause he ain't cryin'." Gajeel tipped a bitter gaze towards their illusionary host as a wickedly triumphant smile curled his lips. "Someone else is pullin' his strings..."

.

"You're unexpectedly clever, I'll give you that." The Puppet Master crooned darkly. "A pawn that came in very handy while hunting unsuspecting slayers; compliments of your old guild master, I do believe." Gajeel watched an emotionless Aria materialise at the guild master's side.

.

"Crap, he got me good…" Gajeel groaned, clasping his chest in desperation. "That was a dumb move."

.

"I knew this was a trap..." Lily murmured in panic as he watched Marionette members make their presence known around them.

.

Their host's chuckle was dark as he welcomed the gathering of people around them. "Wonderful. Now that everybody's present, we can begin." Lily recoiled with his wounded friend as the sky darkened ominously around the courtyard. "Karua." Gajeel's defiant crimson gaze flashed and he struggled out of Lily's grasp to the sound of the Puppet Master's beckoning.

.

"Gajeel what are yo-"

.

"You bastard..." Gajeel hissed bitterly, throwing his balled fist out in challenge. "Let's settle this right now, you and me!"

.

"Don't be an idiot!" Pantherlily demanded through razor sharp teeth. "You don't stand a chance against him without your magic!"

.

"I hope you're ready, you creep, because this has been seven years comin'!" Gajeel roared on a charge towards Karua. He growled darkly in insult when Karua didn't even bat an eye in his direction, but as he neared, he was stopped by another brutal assault from Aria. Lily's wings sprung forth from between his shoulders and before Aria could land his next attack on the downed dragon, he dragged him back out of harm's way. Lily landed nearby and took a stand against the conflict that was the shifty air wizard. "Juvia wasn't kiddin' when she said Phantom and Marionette were somehow connected." Gajeel shifted his gaze to where Neirah stirred nearby, trying to force out the sounds of Lily's struggle. "Shadow..." He murmured softly. "They musta zapped her before she knew what was happening..." His narrowed gaze rested on where Karua offered the Puppet Master a tray with six dark coloured vials on it. He struggled to Neirah's side with a frustrated growl, taking her up in his arms. "Shadow, hey kid, wake up..." He encouraged softly, keeping a careful eye on both Aria and the Puppet Master. "Come on, don't do this to me..."

.

He flinched when Neirah whimpered softly and pressed her forehead against his chest with her struggle, fingertips resting against his forearm as she ascertained her assumptions. "Big brother...?" She whimpered weakly.

.

He ached for revenge on Karua, but as he observed the two scheme, he had to admit to himself that Neirah's safety was his priority. 'I can't keep the kid safe like this...' He thought humbly, struggling to his feet with her grasped solidly in his arms. He shifted his gaze towards Pantherlily who struggled against their once sorrowful opponent. "Lily! Get Shadow out of here!" Lily paused just a moment too long before taking flight out of the battle he struggled in against Aria, allowing Karua to interfere.

.

"The child stays." He hissed darkly, the casting of his notorious hellfire unavoidable as it spread across the entirety of the courtyard. Gajeel clung to Neirah's wounded figure as they were thrown to the side, Lily striking the ground hard nearby and falling back out of his battle form. Gajeel flinched as he watched Aria take hold of the struggling little cat.

.

"Lily!" He roared in concern.

.

"Don't worry about me! Take Shadow to safety!" Lily struggled out weakly, thrown to the ground beneath Aria's foot.

.

"Nonsense! You wouldn't want to miss what comes next!" The Puppet Master mused sadistically, drawing their attention to the ground around Neirah and Gajeel's feet. "Things are just about to get interesting."

.

"What the heck is that?" Gajeel managed roughly, observing the ghost of lines tracing the ground beneath them.

.

"That looks like a magic circle." Lily forced out raggedly. "But I've never seen anything like it."

.

"Gajeel..." Gajeel stilled and shifted his gaze to where Neirah clung frailly to his chest before turning it back towards their suspicious enemies. "You have to get away..."

.

"Look, kid, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you behind with these sickos." His heart sank as he looked back down to see Neirah's tears falling softly against his arm as he held her. "Keep it together!" He demanded eagerly. "Cryin' ain't gonna fix this! You gotta-" His gaze shifted to where the Puppet Master withdrew the vials that were against the offering Karua presented. He watched uncertainly as the Puppet Master drew back his hands and spread them wide, the vials levitating between and emanating familiar presences in a halved circle formation. "Shadow... what are those?" He demanded hoarsely, keeping a careful eye on their enemy's actions. He felt Neirah shutter, dragging his attention back her way in alarm as her weak grip tightened around his forearm with the weight of her guilt. "Neirah! What the hell is in those things!?"

.

She squeaked sorrowfully and wrapped her hands in his shirt, clinging to him in agony as she pressed her tear stained face against him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

.

* * *

.

"They're Marionette members," Erza concluded, Gray rolling another unconscious figure over with his foot.

.

"They all have that freaky clown mark," he agreed. "There's no doubt that these goons work for that creep."

.

"Gajeel was here," Natsu informed them swiftly, turning to face where the sky darkened in foreboding nearby. "Him and Pantherlily. They're probably the ones who wasted them."

.

"Do you think you can track them down from here?" Erza inquired casually, forcing Natsu to throw his fists down at his sides in insult.

.

"Hey! What do I look like a dog?!" He demanded bitterly.

.

"Natsu please!" Lucy begged.

.

"Yea, we don't have time for this..." Wendy mewled desperately. "They could be in serious trouble!"

.

"You can do it, right Natsu?" Happy reiterated. Natsu threw his hands up and folded them over his chest with a disgruntled snort.

.

"'Course I can." He grumbled impatiently. "It's just the way you asked."

.

"Good," Erza added swiftly, taking the lead on Natsu's side. "Then let's go! There's no telling what dangers those two may be facing!"

.

* * *

.

"What do you mean blood!? What the hell do they want with that!?" Gajeel demanded, watching the cult of Marionette members take their places around the circle. "Man, this is freaking me out! I'm gonna need more than that!"

.

"You are soon to realise the truth." The Puppet Master mused, the levitating vials turning upside down of their own accord. "Behold!" He bellowed to his following. "For you are all about to witness history!"

.

"You have to get Shadow away from that circle!" Lily hollered desperately across the courtyard, his breath immediately catching in agony as he was driven deeper into the earth under Aria's foot.

.

"Don't you think I know that!?" Gajeel quipped back heatedly, looking down into his flexing palm. 'Come'on... Give me somethin'...'

.

"Sky... shadow... and light..." Gajeel's trembling gaze watched the Puppet Master telekinetically release the lids on two of the vials.

.

'Damn this is going down now.' He thought in a panic, watching two more lids fall.

.

"Poison and fire..."

.

"Shadow, get on your feet! I ain't lettin' it end like this!" He demanded furiously to the trembling girl.

.

"My personal favourite... lightning..." The Puppet Master crooned darkly, letting the blood from the final vial fall. Gajeel's skin crawled when the Puppet Master's violet gaze fell on him, the blood from the vials each filling in their own part of the ghosted magic circle beneath him. "There is only one offering left..." He rumbled darkly. "Karua? Would you do the honours?"

.

"Certainly..." Karua managed mechanically, approaching where Gajeel clung defensively to a will-less Neirah.

.

"No, Gajeel!" Lily demanded frantically, struggling desperately to escape Aria's clutches.

.

"You stay the hell away from her!" Gajeel snapped maliciously upon Karua's approach, in no way intimidated by the shadowed scythe finding the man's grasp as he strode towards them.

.

"She is in no danger. You... on the other hand... will bleed for our cause."

.

Gajeel's furious gaze didn't break Karua's as he raised his weapon. "Just try it..." He rumbled ferociously.

.

"GAJEEL!" The attention of all nearby spectators was drawn to the sky as an enraged fire dragon crashed down from the heavens through the rain that was starting to slowly leak from the dark clouds above. Gajeel narrowly caught the sight of Natsu's wing attack before he was dragging Neirah back out of harm's way to let Natsu crash into an unsuspecting Karua. As Gajeel stumbled back with Neirah possessively in his grasp, he noticed the colour fading back out of the circle that had started to react to the offerings of blood the Puppet Master had manipulated.

.

"There they are!" Gray called, coming through the courtyard's settling dust with Lucy, Wendy and Erza nearby.

.

"Gajeel! Is Neirah alright?!" Erza asked cautiously on approach as he climbed to his feet. She requipped her sword and took a defensive stance before them in observance of the restless Marionette guild members.

.

"Fine, but we got problems." Gajeel forced out darkly, climbing back to his feet. Happy screeched in panic as Aria appeared behind them.

.

"Ah! That's one of the Element Four!" Lucy squealed in terror.

.

"No, he ain't!" Gajeel roared, his fist crashing into the giant man's gut and knocking the breath from inside him.

.

"Wait I thought you guys were friends!?" Lucy argued in confusion.

.

"That man is under the Puppet Master's control. He attacked Gajeel and weakened his magic." Lily rushed out quickly, flying to their side from where he had been released.

.

Erza blinked down at the heap that had become Aria since Gajeel had winded the man, but her expression only darkened more suspiciously afterwards. "Aria wouldn't go down so easily," Erza murmured softly. "Their control over him is slipping; he's been unconscious this whole time." They turned their attention to where Natsu battled fiercely against Karua, the Puppet Master stagnating in observance. "The guild master is distracted by Natsu's battle with Karua; he's focusing all his power on keeping Natsu at bay!"

.

Gajeel's gaze narrowed suspiciously.

.

"Here." Wendy whimpered softly, raising her hands against Gajeel.

.

"Huh?"

.

"I've heard of Aria's metsu spell…" She admitted bashfully. "I think I might be able to gather your lost magical energy and put it back where it belongs…"

.

"Uh thanks? I guess…" He forced out uncertainly.

.

"Careful child, don't exhaust all of your powers so rashly!" Carla demanded worrisomely. "We're in a dangerous situation."

.

"Natsu! Fight the guild master!" Gray hollered, approaching the battle. "He's the one controlling all these other guys!" Karua was thrown surprisingly submissively to one side as Natsu's attention turned to the Puppet Master.

.

"Right!" He called back, switching targets. "Fire dragon iron fist!"

.

"Let's go!" Gray reiterated. "Ice-make geyser!"

.

"Open! Gate of the golden bull! Taurus!" Lucy bellowed in demand, summoning Taurus to the courtyard. "Time to put the beat down on these guys!"

.

"Right away, miss Luuu-cy!" Gajeel watched as the three charged towards a reawakened Puppet Master, Karua slinking into the shadows in defeat.

.

"Not so fast you son-of-a-bitch..." He rumbled fiercely. "Lily, look after Shadow." He demanded, striding away from where Wendy struggled to heal Neirah's wounds. "I gotta score to settle with that bastard…"

.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Erza demanded frantically.

.

"The first chance you get, get her out of here!" Gajeel demanded impatiently, throwing his hand out in command.

.

"Hold on!"

.

 _"It's time to remember..."_

.

Neirah lurched forwards with the sound of the voice in her head, clutching her fingers to her scalp with an agonised yowl. "No... What's happening?!" She squeaked out weakly. Moments later, an unusual magic circle was displaying beneath her as her screams echoed in the courtyard.

.

"Neirah, are you ok?!" Wendy exclaimed frantically.

.

"Get away, child! Something isn't right!" Carla demanded, carrying Wendy back as Neirah collapsed back down to her hands and knees.

.

"Neirah, what's wrong?!" Erza asked sternly, reaching out to the girl. Neirah's wide and terrified gaze trembled as she stared into the earth, watching the first years of her life pass before her eyes in the mud beneath her. The chilling screams of horror had drawn Gajeel's attention back to where his little sister clawed at her brow in desperate attempts to stop the splitting pain that accompanied the resurfacing of many years of lost memories.

.

"It's time, my dear!" The Puppet Master mused darkly, watching in triumph as she was retrieved by her father's shadowed silhouette the moment he appeared tangibly behind her. "Now that you remember all that you learned from that dragon friend of yours, we can begin with the merging!"

.

Erza shook damp bangs from her face as she glared across the stormy courtyard to where Karua had placed Neirah back inside the pale magic circle's centre. "What does he mean!?" Erza demanded in a panic. "Requip!" She struck the ground with determination now endowed with her black wing armour, raising her sword towards the Puppet Master in demand. "What do you intend to do!?"

.

"Watch carefully, child, because the beast that will be born this day will spell the doom of all those who have opposed me! STARTING WITH YOU!" The Puppet Master wailed through a hysteric fit of laughter. Erza stepped back out of the glowing circle as colour started to find the lines once more with each element that had been offered, narrowly escaping the sight of it climbing into the air to erect an elemental barrier around the terrified girl at its centre. Only a small area remained pale around the screaming child, the area beneath Gajeel's feet.

.

Gajeel recoiled from left to right as each segment of the magic circle sent a brilliant light into the stormy sky in defence of the ritual that had begun. His panicked gaze quickly fell to where Neirah cried out in the centre, her arms wrapped around her waist as she recoiled in agony. His expression darkened in determination when he watched Karua vanish from the circle safely and he powered towards the centre towards her. "Hang on, kid!" He called out roughly. "Almost-" His fingertips barely passed the centre wall before an elemental barrier was piercing the sky in the space he'd occupied. Pantherlily sped towards the barrier desperately to the sound of his agonised comrade falling beneath the expulsion of power around him.

.

"No Gajeel!" The Exceed may as well have been battling his friend as all the power of the iron dragon struck him to the earth mercilessly despite his attempts to save him.

.

"Let them _GO_!" Natsu demanded furiously, moving to strike the guild's master. He cried out in pain as he was struck to the side by a dangerous dispelling of magic from the barrier, the force sending him sailing through the air.

.

"Do you see it now!?" The Puppet Master cried. "The power that lies in the blood of dragons!?" Natsu ground his teeth and lurched back towards the barrier only to be struck by a powerful bolt of lightning magic from the golden glow in which he approached.

.

"Natsu!" Happy whined desperately, catching the slayer just before he struck the earth again.

.

"Man, that was an all too familiar hurt..." Natsu rumbled weakly, glaring towards where the Marionette guild master laughed maniacally from inside the circle.

.

* * *

.

 _"On the other hand, I think that attitude of yours is gonna get you in a world of hurt." Laxus mused arrogantly, looming over the crowd from where he perched on the stage before them. "Why don't you SIT BACK DOWN!"_

.

* * *

.

Natsu winced in recollection, his teeth ground hard with the force of realisation. "This jerks fightin' with six dragon slayers that ain't even here!"

.

"Don't be shy! I control the unbridled force of six dragons and there are six of YOU!" The Puppet Master's laughter was piercing as he watched the force of his offering's bend to his will, striking each wizard with the force of every slayer he'd captured.

.

Wendy cried out shrilly as she was struck to the ground alongside Natsu, Carla quickly chasing after her wounded figure. "No Wendy!" Carla cried through the heavy fall of her tears. Gray and Lucy whined in agony as they were thrown back by similar strikes. Carla knelt at Wendy's side and turned to look back at the deranged Marionette guild master as he laughed over his triumph. "Please spare her!" Carla begged weakly. "She's only a child! She didn't choose this path!"

.

"No..." Erza murmured breathlessly struggling to her feet, her blade trembling between her hands as she stared into the circle in disbelief. "This is blood ritual magic... But that's impossible! I've never heard about it actually being practised!"

.

"Did I just hear what I think I heard!?" Gray roared over the rain, watching the stunned warrior tremble with fear. "Erza! Get it together! We've got to find a way to get Neirah out of that circle!" Gray swatted away another defensive Marionette member before attempting to lunge through the barrier.

.

"Gray, don't!" Lucy cried out in terror. She let out an tormented scream as Gray was thrown back into the mud by the force of the crimson flames the barrier had expelled to stop his advance. She shook tears from her eyes as she turned her head back to the barriers touching the sky, determination in her eyes. "Open! Gate of the maiden!" She demanded, thrusting Virgo's key into the air. "Virgo!"

.

"You called, princess?" Virgo crooned affectionately, materialising before her as she passed through the gates of the celestial world.

.

"Virgo please, I need you to dig beneath this magic circle and get Neirah out from inside it!" Lucy informed urgently.

.

"Right away." Virgo mused softly, bowing subtly before she began to tunnel.

.

"Don't worry, Neirah! Virgo's got-" Lucy was interrupted by the blood-curdling scream of Virgo from beneath the ground. "No, Virgo! How can the barriers go underground too!?" She recoiled when Virgo was dragged back out of her hole and thrown to the ground at Lucy's feet by a shadowed Karua.

.

"I will tolerate no more interference!" Karua hissed in sync with their guild master. "Reaper's shadow; knight!" He declared, the shadows responding in the form of a dark sword.

.

"How can you let him control you!?" Natsu demanded fervently, drawing flaming fists back by his sides. "She's your daughter!" Natsu cried out in pain as Karua vanished once more, leaving him to crash into the shadowed part of the barrier.

.

"My control is absolute!" The Puppet Master rumbled triumphantly. "Just watch!"

.

Erza flinched when Neirah's cries settled, the woman's eyes opening with her drying tears to stare vacantly into the sky above her tilted gaze. She watched Gajeel still beneath the painful force of the barrier around him as their eyes met and Erza's heart sank in horror.

.

"No!" She screeched defensively. "Neirah don't do it!"

.

"BWAHAHAHAH! She will do as I will!" The Puppet Master bellowed triumphantly. "Now spill the blood of the iron dragon and complete the circle!"

.

"No!" Lucy cried. "She would never hurt her brother!" Her heart sank as she watched Neirah slowly crawl to her feet, empty eyes on her target as she advanced. "NO, PLEASE! DON'T MAKE HER DO IT!" She begged through a fit of furious tears.

.

"Stop this now!" Erza demanded feverishly. "If you are attempting to perform the type of spell I think you are then you must know that the cost is the caster's life as well as that of the sacrificial offering!"

.

"Yes." The master rumbled with a sinister sneer. "My death will bring life to the most powerful weapon this world has seen!"

.

"He's insane!" Gray exclaimed in horror. "What's a weapon if you're not around to use it?!"

.

"Neirah, please don't," Lucy pleaded desperately, collapsing to her knees. "You can fight this..." She shook her tears free with her bitter denial as she screamed her protest to the air. "If you spared Laxus then I know you can spare him too!" The tears that fell from Neirah's void expression broke her heart, but the woman didn't stop as she reached through the centre of the circle on approach, immune to the same force that held her brother prisoner.

.

Erza charged towards the barrier with a furious war cry, slashing it repeatedly with every charge of defensive magic forcing a pained cry from her lips.

.

"Erza!" Natsu roared in frustration.

.

"Let. them. GO!" Erza wailed in demand through her cries of anguish. She screeched in pain as Karua struck her down, quickly vanishing after his attack as Erza fell to the muddy earth with a desperate whimper.

.

"ErAGH! Karua!" Natsu threw his head back with a furious roar, flames engulfing his strained figure before he started his charge towards the barrier to take up Erza's cause. "How can you let him do this!?"

.

Gajeel could hear the defiant cries of Natsu and Erza at his back, but he was out of fight. And as badly as the pain crippled his body with the circle's pressure, nothing hurt more than the slow advance of his little sister as she crossed into his barrier with a lifeless expression void of attachment to their several years of companionship.

.

"That's it! Do it!" The Puppet Master cried through his deranged fit of laughter. "The power of infinity will be mine!"

.

Gajeel flinched as Neirah dropped to his side, shadows dancing on her fingertips as they were forced to materialise in weapon form. "Shadow!" Natsu defended heatedly, the girl so close he could almost reach in and touch her. With a determined bellow, he threw his hand against the barrier and strained until he tore right through its emerald glow. "Hang on! I'm gonna get you out of t-"

.

Erza's eyes widened with her shrill gasp, but she fell back as Karua leapt from beneath them to challenge the feisty dragon slayer. 'He tore through it?!' She thought, watching Neirah's hands tremble with the force of her resistance. Erza cast her gaze towards Natsu and Karua before narrowing it on the sealing gap Natsu had made. With a furious cry, she thrust her sword through the crack in the barrier and dragged it to the side with all she had, fighting what seemed to be the force of a dragon the entire time. She ground her teeth, trying desperately to cut through as the pain of its attack rippled through her arms. "Gajeel, get out of there!" She demanded.

.

"No," he rumbled weakly, collapsed beneath the pressure of the iron field next to his little sister. "I ain't leavin' the kid..." He shook his head briefly to regain his fading consciousness as the force of the barrier threatened to destroy him. He rolled his head to one side and offered Erza a confident smirk, wincing with the next surge of dragon slaying energy crashing into him from all angles. "If she stays, I stay…"

.

"Gajeel please, pull yourself together!" Erza begged through the pain. "Without your blood, the ritual can't be performed! We can still save Neirah!" Erza's eyes widened as Neirah cut her lifeless gaze to the efforts of the swords master.

.

"Oh no! She's going for Erza!" Gray exclaimed frantically.

.

Erza's arms trembled with their strain as Neirah dropped to her knees in front of her, reaching towards the barrier.

.

"NEIRAH PLEASE!" Lucy's cries echoed through the still air as the courtyard went silent with the tears that spilt onto Erza's blade from blue eyes. Erza's breath caught as Neirah's hands started to tremble and before she could react, Neirah's fingers were wrapped tightly around her sword.

.

"Neirah, what are you-"

.

"Erza," Neirah begged through a desperate fit of tears, clinging to Erza's sword with bare hands. She shook her head free of the haze the Puppet Master had left behind, powerful emotions raging through her. "Don't let them do this to me!" Her small hands bled as she clung to Erza's blade, forcing it against her chest with her certainty. "Finish this, Erza! Make him stop! You have to save the others!" Erza's gaze trembled as tears rolled over one side of her face, her heart aching for the desperation in the girl's voice as she held the sword tight to where the ebony mark of the Fairy Tail guild used to rest on her chest. "My life isn't worth theirs!" She wailed shrilly. "It's not!"

.

'She's defied me again!' The Puppet Master raged. 'But there's no way Titania would end the life of a friend!'

.

Erza let out a devastated cry as she drew her sword back out of Neirah's grip and shook tears from sealed eyelids. She had to break the seal holding them prisoner in order to release at least one of them by force. "Neirah, please move!" She wailed as she thrust her sword forwards. After hearing Lucy's devastated scream, Erza withdrew her blade and opened her eyes only to find that her target had been replaced. She watched silently in horror as Gajeel fell to his side between her and Neirah, his blood leaking into the circle until it had been completed.

.

Erza cried out as the barrier repaired itself and threw her and her sword to the side with the tremendous expulsion of its completed form, concentrated golden waves of infinite magic crashing into everyone nearby. It took a long moment before Neirah's empty, widened stare shifted from Erza's screams to where Gajeel smiled back at her like he hadn't just suffered a fatal blow from Titania Erza herself. A small smile found his lips as he sighed in relief with her safety, casting a weak peripheral gaze up to the sky before it fell back on his little sister.

.

"Hey… you know it's rainin'... right?" He forced out raggedly. Raindrops camouflaged hot tear streaks as Neirah trembled in place, paralysed by her horror.

.

* * *

 _"_ _Then one day I woke up… and he was gone…_

.

 _Just like my parents…_

 _._

 _just like Ryverika…_

.

 _and my heart shattered."_

.

* * *

.

Neirah's agonised screams were deafening as they pierced the air around them with her thoughts. "GAJEEL!"

.

"Gotcha!" Neirah screamed in pain and frustration as the Puppet Master grabbed a hold of her hair and jerked her head back, dragging her back into the centre of the circle. "Foolish boy!" He kicked Gajeel away from where Neirah had clung to him, centring the two of them inside the whirling vortex of magical energy. Neirah's body burned and no matter how tightly she sealed her eyes, seven struggling dragon slayers filled her thoughts as if every one of them suffered at her very feet. "Now awaken!" He bellowed triumphantly.

.

* * *

.

Rainwater rolled over a mysterious man's chin as his infuriated grimace displayed a carnivorous set of teeth. Dark crimson hair clung to his shoulders as he watched silently from nearby. "Is this your will?!" He growled fiercely, his body burning with restraint. "Is it?!"

.

* * *

.

Natsu threw Karua to the side like a ragdoll with a furious expel of flames and charged towards the golden glow of the completed magic circle. "I'm not going to let you take her!" Natsu cried, powering into the barrier with a deafening roar of defiance. Neirah was almost in reach when he slammed into the magic's resistance and plummeted back just as many steps as he'd taken. It didn't stop him. He charged again, fiercer, prouder. Stronger. "Give. HER. BACK!"

.

"Natsu!" Lucy's cries were interrupted when she watched a flaming dragon slayer pierce the golden aura one fist at a time.

.

"He did it!" Happy cried.

.

Natsu's wails of defiance were thunderous over the swell of humming magical essence as he sank his fingers into the hole in the magic like it was tangible, ripping it to either side until he could step through and charge on the deranged guild master. "Shadow!" He roared to the agonised girl.

.

"He got through!" Gray observed in disbelief.

.

The Puppet Master's violet eyes barely had enough time to widen as Natsu's flaming fist tore through the centre of the circle and struck him hard in the jaw. He cried out as he was thrown through the barrier the circle had created and crashed into the mud of the earth outside it; forced to stare back in horror and disbelief. The moment it happened, panic filled him with the interruption the ritual had suffered, but before his worry could interject his smile, it was returning in force. The golden glow of infinity pierced the sky from the centre of the circle only, the energy narrowing on a screaming Neirah as it merged with her. "I've done it..." He murmured in delight. "You're too late!" He boomed.

.

Natsu turned his attention back to where Neirah's unconscious body started to fall forwards, the light fading in the courtyard as a single narrow strand dispersed from above her. "Shadow?" He took an alarmed step forwards as her body started to become transparent. "Wait!" He demanded, running towards her slow descend. "Hey! SHADS!?" His fingertips were a breath away from her skin when she fell into his embrace, and right through it. Natsu's wide-eyed gaze trembled as she ghosted through him and vanished in a soft fading light before she could meet the ground. He stared for a long moment at her cloak in his arms, his fingers trembling as he heard Lucy's agonised gasp pierce the air. "No..." He muttered softly. "We... failed?"

.

Pantherlily took flight and rushed to a wounded Gajeel's side. "He's unconscious..." He murmured lightly to himself, panicked over the amount of blood spilt from the wound the iron dragon suffered. "He needs help!"

.

"The entire guild, and the Puppet Master... They're all gone." Wendy observed bleakly. "Did the spell backfire?"

.

"Aria is still here, so they didn't teleport..." Gray concluded.

.

Happy whimpered softly while hovering over the unconscious man's figure, turning his gaze to face Lucy as she slowly approached Natsu.

.

"No..." Erza whimpered softly. "Neirah... She's…"

.

"Natsu…" Lucy sobbed through her tears, laying her hand on Natsu's trembling arm as it clung to Neirah's cloak. Natsu turned and faced her as if he was surprised to see her sadness, a hopeful smile on his face as he lingered in the centre of what used to be infinity's magic circle.

.

"Gee Lucy, what're you crying for?" Lucy flinched, her eyes widening as she tipped her gaze back to where tears rolled hot over his cheeks. "With a face like that, you'd think she was dead or somethin'."

.

"Natsu..." Happy whimpered softly, fluttering near where Wendy wept in her hands next to Carla.

.

"Come on out before Lucy loses it, Shads!" Natsu called out into the empty air, waiting a long, silent moment for a response that never came. "Time to get goin' and get back to training for the Grand Magic Games!" Lucy dropped to her knees with a desperate scream. "Ah right! You got us good!" He forced out a laugh and turned his deceptive gaze outwards. "Yo Shadow!? Quit playin' around!" He turned his trembling gaze towards the horizon, his hand by his mouth as he hollered into the night. "Let's go home…"

.

Natsu flinched, turning his teary eyes towards Erza as she laid her hand on his shoulder, sniffling back the pain of their loss. "Please," she whispered weakly. "Gajeel is seriously wounded... we have to go..."

.

"Sure." He whimpered softly, blinking back at her with an enthusiastic smile. "Just gotta get Shads and we'll-" Lucy squealed as Gray raked his fist across Natsu's face mercilessly, sending the distraught fire wizard to the side.

.

"Enough!" Erza demanded through tears, watching Natsu struggle to stay on his feet. "Gray, what do you think you're d-?!"

.

"We lost, ok?!" Gray roared, his denied gaze dark with restrained emotion. "We were too late to save her." He shouted boldly, throwing his finger out towards Gajeel's motionless body. "But we can save him!" Finally, he raised his head and let the crystalline glitter of his tears catch in the courtyard's fading light. "Can we handle that much!?" Gray flinched as Natsu hit his knees, clutching Neirah's cloak in defeat. The earth trembled with the devastating call of the fire dragon that night as the rain washed away any trace of hope he had and Fairy Tail's strongest team returned to the guild that night less one shadow dragon slayer.

 _._

* * *

 _._

The guild was still and quiet as the doors creaked open, anxious eyes falling on the dark doorway as the storm raged on outside it. Levy climbed to her feet, Jet and Droy too late to stop the enthusiastic girl as she approached their lost team with a smile on her face. "Oh thank goodness you're all safe, I was so wo-" Her face paled, eyes widening with the flash of lightning illuminating tear-stained faces to her line of sight. Her heart stopped as she rested her weary gaze on the downcast one's of Fairy Tail's strongest team and it shattered when it came to rest on Natsu's as he shifted it in defeat to hers, an unconscious Gajeel resting against his shoulder.

.

"Gajeel!" She cried, running towards them.

.

"Good lord, what happened out there!?" Makarov demanded frantically in observance as an exhausted Natsu passed Gajeel off to Elfman and Levy.

.

"Gajeel and Pantherlily discovered the Marionette stronghold before we could intercept them…" Erza murmured weakly upon passing. Makarov gasped before the question everyone had on their minds met his lips.

.

"And our Neirah…?"

.

Erza's breath caught with her well of emotion and despite immediately regretting the fact, her gaze had already risen to meet Laxus' where he lingered not far. The shake of her head said it all and so much more. "Forgive us, Master.

 _._

We failed…"

.

* * *

.

The Puppet Master stared into the darkly coloured lacrima crystal from the safety of his fortress, his expression serious. "How is she?"

.

"Unstable but she survived." A nearby Marionette associate assured him. "Her memories are still racing. It will be a while before they have settled and properly collected to utilise her abilities."

.

"Any sign of the dragon yet?" He murmured softly, his gaze narrowing in on the frail silhouette behind the crystal's reflective surface.

.

"None." He was assured swiftly. "But the spike in her magical energy levels suggests that she has successfully merged with the beast." The stray member's brow furrowed as their attention turned to their still live guild master. "But sir, for that to be the case, I'm surprised that you are still alive despite the casting of your sacrificial spell. Are you sure that you're well?"

.

"Never more so." A sinister grin found his lips as he glowered over his achievement. "It must have taken the meddling fire breather and her endearing brother instead." He rumbled victoriously. "But they will be considered lucky in the end, for once she awakens, I will be sure to let their entire guild feel the wrath of infinity!"

.

* * *

.

A fierce crimson gaze cut narrowly over the horizon, waiting impatiently for the awakening of the wounded dragon slayer hauled up inside Marionette's crimson fortress. "You know nothing of infinity's wrath..." The mysterious man snarled in a beastly tone.

.

"I see… So, we meet again..."

.

The man turned to where he was joined by three familiar faces on their way towards Magnolia.

.

"I suspect this may be a more frequent occurrence." He rumbled darkly. The man straightened from where he had been crouched in observance over the ravine, his tanned flesh moulding tightly over a strong physique. He cast his reptilian gaze down to where he towered over the wizards of the independent guild of Crime Sorciére. "The children of Fairy Tail could have used your aid not moments ago."

.

"My apologies, Kairyn, but we were unaware that Infinity Dragon's priorities involved members of the dark guild Marionette." Jellal started in defence. "Were there casualties?" He questioned, stepping to the large man's side in observance of the guild.

.

"One," Kairyn growled huskily. "The iron dragon slayer was the last to stumble, but fell the hardest."

.

Jellal shifted his furrowing gaze up to where Kairyn brooded venomously in thought. "You didn't assist them?"

.

"The prince was not present." Kairyn offered bitterly, watching lightning streak the stormy skies. "My orders were specific."

.

"That doesn't mean you can just ignore the suffering of others in need!" Meredy quipped out heatedly, drawing the beast of a man's indirect attention. "You're a dragon slayer too! How could you just stand there and watch them struggle?!"

.

"Meredy!" Ultear demanded urgently.

.

"I may not be the same Jellal you came to Earthland with, but I'm sure he would also agree." Jellal reiterated sternly.

.

"That is none of your concern," Kairyn assured him unsympathetically. "The actions of this day will ripple through time. Her struggle is far from over. When her time comes, the prince is the only one who will be able to redeem her."

.

Jellal turned away with a soft scoff, shaking his head in defeat. "Well, you're loyal to your cause, whatever that may be. I guess we can ask no more..." He admitted softly. He looked off into the distance solemnly his back to Kairyn's as the brooding dragon continued to overlook Marionette's fortress. "The man you spoke of... he was her brother." Jellal tipped his gaze back over his shoulder towards Kairyn's evasive stare. "I can't imagine that you were unaware of that."

.

"The independent guild of Infinity Dragon has one purpose, Jellal." Kairyn rumbled in authority, tipping a fiery red glare over his shoulder in warning. "Should you step in our way, you will lie in ruin at our feet."

.

"Don't be so sure," Ultear added, stepping into the conversational fray with a determined flash in her cool exterior. "Fairy Tail will not hand her over willingly. I have seen the bonds that hold their guild together and they are unbreakable."

.

"That's right!" Meredy added.

.

"They left this evening under the assumption that she was dead," Kairyn warned in foreboding. "If I have to prolong their suffering to support that front, I will."

.

"A woman with scarlet coloured hair battled tonight, didn't she?" Jellal murmured softly.

.

"Make your point, human." Kairyn encouraged boldly.

.

"Erza will see justice done at all costs." He warned casually, leading his small guild away. "Prepare yourself for the fight of your life..."


	8. Shadow's Light

She woke suspended in a crimson pool, her body burning and mind racing. 'W-where am I?' She thought, her eyes slowly fluttering open. 'Am I...?' She winced and threw her head back, her body tight with the pain of battles passed. 'No. I hurt so badly that death would be comforting...' She opened her eyes again, but barely during round two. 'What has he done to me?' A cascade of painful memories pierced her tired mind like a spear of blinding light, illuminating the truth of her circumstance. 'Where are the others? Did they survive?' She recalled the image of her friends falling around her as she screamed and tears started to roll over her cheeks until they met bared teeth through her pained grimace.

.

'I-It burns…' Her eyes widened as she struggled to retain her emotions and her hands started to tremble as she clenched her fists. She tipped her head back again and stared above her to where the pool darkened. 'This scent… This… presence… Why does it comfort me?'

.

'Their blood, why? What has he done?!' Her lips parted softly as they relaxed and she stared into what seemed to be memories that didn't belong to her.

.

"Wind, shadow and light, fire and poison, lightning… iron."

.

She heard the voice, but she couldn't comprehend the direction in which it came from. She continued to stare towards the darkening of the pool until her attention caught a shadow before her, dimming the crimson pool like they were watching her from outside a prison.

.

Her gaze flashed as the Puppet Master's silhouette reached her state of comprehension. 'You!' Neirah sealed her eyes tight and meditated on her inner strength for a moment of silence, letting a plethora of thoughts wash over her. 'It's him…' A solitary tear joined the fluid around her. 'His blood… You… killed him…' Her eyes flew open gold and as hot as the pool of dragon's blood she'd waded in, her pupils narrowing to slits as the newly awakened infinity dragon slayer emerged. 'Ryverika.'

.

.

 **Shadow's Light**

.

.

"She survived." The Puppet Master hummed in approval. "I was beginning to doubt that she'd rise, but it seems you were right, Karua. That daughter of yours has proved most useful to me."

.

"This still doesn't guarantee your success," Karua warned him cautiously, his gaze following the absent observance of Marionette members scampering around them. "The last person who suffered this ritual ended up going mad until death took them. Neirah's mind is delicate, I fear for her life." He admitted grimly, casting his attention indirectly to the other dark guild members hovering anxiously nearby. "Even under the influence of your manipulative magic's strings, using her outside of her intended purpose will be risky and ultimately dangerous."

.

"I'm well aware of what happened to the first. But Neirah trained with the beast himself and now we have his blood. Even though they didn't make it far due to her vulnerable state, it could be just the boost we need." Puppet Master whispered softly, resting his hand against the lacrima encasing Neirah's body. "The first was weak. Neirah was more powerful before the ritual was ever attempted."

.

Karua watched him suspiciously as he spoke, trying to dismiss the others around them as they pried nosily into details. "You sound so sure..." He added apprehensively.

.

"Of course I'm sure..." He rumbled sternly. "He was my son."

.

Karua flew backwards in panic when the shattering of the lacrima crystal pierced the silence that had taken them with the expulsion of the truth. "She's awake!" He cried out in fear just as much as relief. The Puppet Master took a step back, a sinister and triumphant smile on his face as his maniacal laughter filled the astounded guild hall.

.

"Yes! It worked! I've done i-" He cried out the moment Neirah struck him, his face burning like she'd coated him in acid. "N-no! Why!? How has she escaped my control so soon!?" Neirah wailed out loud in pain and fury as her hate for their guild master burned inside her. Before she knew it, a flaming fist was connecting with the man's frail figure aside from the hand that grasped his throat. "This can't be happening!" He roared through poisoned flame, his body breaking beneath Neirah's rage. Karua cowered far from the spectacle as he watched the desecration of the Marionette guild master. The other members had begun to flee as Neirah's wrath turned inward and she fought desperately to claw off the Marionette guild sign resting on her hip.

.

Taking the opportunity to slink away, Karua quickly bypassed the others by cutting through the courtyard and escaping through an underground passage that took him under the guild towards the ravine nearby. "I may not have enough time before-"

.

* * *

.

He thought he was alone in his bed when he finally woke, the lights bright as morning when he began to stir. He let crimson eyes search the distorting glow, trying to find peace with the relief of waking from a terrible nightmare. 'It was a dream.' He thought quietly, his vision starting to clear. He drew back a hard breath when clearing sights revealed a doctoring Levy to his comprehension, forcing an immediate spike in his temperature.

.

"Gajeel's awake!" He heard her exclaim distantly, the hum of relief in the room fading audibly in and out. "Hey, can you hear me? How are you feeling, big guy?"

.

He shot up in bed, immediately regretting the decision as he recoiled in on a familiar wound given to him by a powerful guild mate. His eyes widened with the impact of reality striking him in the chest, all his memories of their battle crashing into him overbearingly quick.

.

"Gajeel...?" He heard Levy trying to softly coax him out of the memories that had him tensing and panting in disbelief, her touch gentle on his forearm. "Gajeel, are you alright?"

.

"Shadow," he stated firmly, his gaze denied to the anxious crowd around him. He locked his gaze on Levy, desperate for answers. "Where... where is she?" Levy froze, the haunting truth raising tears in her eyes all over again as she thought about her friend's fate. Gajeel quickly raised his gaze to hers as her tears rolled down onto his arm beneath where her grip on him tightened. He shook his head in denial of the memories that had the presence of Neirah's tears scarring the same flesh. "Levy, tell me where Shadow is!" He repeated desperately.

.

Levy tried to keep her eyes open through her pain as she slowly shook her head. "I-I'm sorry." She whimpered weakly, shaking her head harder with her denial. "I'm so sorry Gajeel!" She screamed.

.

"Hey!" He was helpless to do more than reach out to her as she rose and ran from the room with her face in her hands. Panic welled inside him as his wandering gaze roamed over the room where more than a few of the guild members were obviously waiting for him to awaken. He didn't really want to see a damn one of them in their current state, but he had to know; he wouldn't admit it to himself.

.

His desperate gaze scoured their lowered ones for answers before he finally came to rest it on a bandaged Laxus leaning up against the door frame with a vacantly denied stare. "Laxus...?" He started slowly, trying to convince himself that it was good news they were keeping from him. 'No... if he's here...' His gaze trembled as the usually outwardly defiant lightning dragon tipped his gaze obediently his way. "Somebody... just tell me." His arm tensed as he dropped his head and let the first of his devastated tears fall. "Tell me what's happening, damn it!" He begged, trying to chase away the memories of years he spent watching over the child who affectionately grew to love him more than anyone ever cared to.

.

"She's gone." Although he knew it was coming, the news shot through him in a form of searing pain when Natsu offered it and it took everything he had to remain still when all he wanted to do was bury the messenger. He ground his molars fiercely as he listened to the devastating crack in Natsu's voice as he pressed on with the shock of repeating the truth. "She..."

.

"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!" Gajeel roared bitterly. Natsu flinched and tucked his chin towards his chest, Lucy's hand resting reassuringly against his shoulder as he stared out the window. "No... Not the kid..." Gajeel shook his head, his pain melting away with the adrenaline that powered through him.

.

"Please calm down Gajeel, we just finished patching you up," Mirajane pleaded softly in a desperate whimper.

.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help her." Wendy cried from where her wounded figure cowered in the corner in a fit of tears. "I was too weak, I'm so sorry Gajeel!" She wailed.

.

Gajeel sealed his eyes and shook his head until his own thoughts drowned out the sounds of the devastated child, every one of her apologetic whimpers reminding him of the girl he'd left behind before Tenrou took away seven years of their life together.

.

"Don't beat yourself up, child." Carla managed softly in concern for the young girl's feelings. "None of us could help her..."

.

"Aye..." Happy muttered dismally with the solemn drop in his ears.

.

"I-no. She can't. Why? WHY COULDN'T I SAVE HER?!" Gajeel raged, clinging to his wound tightly despite the pain fading from his comprehension. Laxus' expression faltered and he was finally forced to turn away, taking his first step out of the room with the devastation their guild had suffered. "Shadow!"

.

* * *

.

 _"I'm s-so... sorry..." Neirah squeaked out softly. "P-protect... the others..." She warned him through a new hot wave of tears. "Gajeel… and the other dragon slayers..."_

.

* * *

.

Laxus clenched his fists in his pockets as he threw his back up against the wall outside the infirmary entrance. He closed his eyes and shuddered with dismay as her name echoed throughout the deathly silent halls with the shattered roar of the iron dragon slayer. The cracked voice that admitted defeat outside the room was soft, but the words struck him powerfully with the distress they forced upon his conscience. "I can't protect him from himself…"

.

* * *

.

"No… GET IT OFF!" Neirah screeched, golden eyes wide with hate and fear as she clawed at the clown on her hip. It was only after she'd removed it that she took a moment to observe her surroundings again. "Gajeel- WHERE IS MY BROTHER!?" Neirah watched her violet-scaled hands tremble while poison hissed at her feet, eating away at the flesh of her enemy. Ebony claws shone behind golden flames as fire faded from her forearms and left her to watch as abilities that were never her own passed before her comprehension. "Na-Natsu?" Tears streamed down her face as golden eyes paled and ran cold with her devastation. "I-It can't... be..." Wide-eyed, she threw her injured hands into her hair, her scalp burning with her grip as she struggled to process what had happened to her during nights passed. Memories of battling against her fellow dragon slayers, practising their abilities, passed through her mind and forced her to her knees. 'Gajeel, Laxus... Natsu.'

.

She sealed her eyelids and forced hot tears over her cheeks as she trembled in rage. "Ryverika... what are you trying to tell me...?!" Her hands ached painfully from where her body had been shocked with the presence of her new abilities, but she didn't dare to whimper. "Gajeel..." She slowly let her arms fall into her lap. "No..." She gasped out helplessly. She threw her head back and bared carnivorous teeth as she wailed her denial into the darkness of the vacant guild around her. "No!" The pillar of golden light that scorched the sky and demolished the fortress around her was blinding in the still of the night as the sound of the awakened infinity dragon filled the air.

.

* * *

.

Wendy gasped as her ears filled with a piercing roar of a dragon, her eyes widening in terror as she looked towards the window Natsu hovered by. Laxus flinched, equally as surprised as the young girl, as his eyes flew open and he looked back into the room suspiciously, watching carefully as Gajeel stilled.

.

'Was that him?' He thought in alarm.

.

Natsu turned his head quickly to look out the window, his eyes wide with his uncertainty. "What the heck was that?!" He demanded through his panic.

.

"You heard it too?" Wendy asked softly, rising to her feet.

.

"Heard what child?" Carla inquired softly as she watched the girl's tears fade.

.

"Yea I didn't hear anything?" Happy added curiously. "What was it Natsu?"

.

Master Makarov watched cautiously as Natsu stared out the window, his eyes wide as he observed Natsu's gaze narrowing.

.

"I heard it too." Laxus rumbled softly, stepping back into the doorway. "It sounded just like-"

.

* * *

.

Erik flinched, turning his head to observe the darkness at his back like it was watching him in his prison cell. "I don't just hear things," he murmured softly through his alarm. "There's no doubt that that was-"

.

* * *

.

"Was that what I think it was?" Sting turned his head to where Rogue looked out the window of the guild to where the night remained still around them.

.

"What'd you hear Sting?" Lector inquired curiously.

.

"Yea, Fro didn't hear anything…" Frosch added innocently.

.

"It sure sounded like it." Rogue murmured softly through his concern.

.

* * *

.

"A dragon?"

.

Gajeel's wide gaze rose to where he watched Laxus, Natsu and Wendy speak the words simultaneously.

.

Makarov, taking in the obvious agreement in Gajeel's expression, turned hastily and headed for the door. "Mira, please, follow me. Quickly."

.

"Yes, Master." She squeaked in agreement.

.

* * *

.

Neirah clung to a blanket she'd found lying among the rubble of the old Marionette guild as she stumbled through the dark forest, in far too much pain to care that she was as vulnerable as she was. She twisted a knot into the pants she'd salvaged to keep them around her lean hips and kept the tattered blanket close to her bare chest. Neglecting to watch the world around her, she stumbled on a tree branch and toppled to the cold forest floor with a gentle cry. She raised her hand to her face and wiped at her tears with a soft whimper. "These tears... they won't stop falling." She slowly gathered the blanket and climbed to her feet once more. Once she was standing, though, she just stared at the ground. "Why am I even walking?" She murmured softly to herself. "Where will I go, now that I've written the demise of everyone I ever knew and loved?" She took a small step forwards. "All I wanted to do was save my father, and now... I've brought destruction upon those who stood by me through every challenge that I ever faced." Tears tickled her toes as they fell to the ground by her feet.

.

 _"Hey, you know it's raining... right?"_

.

She looked up into the dark sky with tired eyes as a crimson sun broke over the horizon. "I can feel his pain. Like I was the one who took Erza's sword to my chest all along..." She dropped her gaze to her fingers that had long since returned to normal but carried scars of her new magic's expulsion. "Will I carry the weight of this guilt for the rest of my life?" She threw her hand against her chest above her heart, letting her tears cascade relentlessly around her as she desperately tried to connect with the feeling of relief that once came with her touch against Fairy Tail's insignia. "Not Gajeel… please… anyone but him…" Her grip weakened as her lean fingers trembled and she felt the emptiness overcome her with the absence of her guild mark. "I'm so sorry Fairy Tail… I should have never come back…"

.

* * *

.

Kairyn stood broadly, his arms folded over his chest as he carefully observed the remnants of the dark guild Marionette. Men and women staggered around the area, aiding the wounded and scampering about for their lives like insects. With a decisive snort of derision, he leapt from the ravine, the ground trembling beneath his presence as he struck the earth once more and approached the mayhem.

.

There was no remorse in his crimson glower as the cowards retreated in fear of his presence after the devastation they'd suffered in light of Neirah's awakening. "Hey! Y-you're not supposed to be here!" Kairyn's hot reptilian gaze cut to where a young man defied him, his finger trembling with the sight that rested against Kairyn's chest. He drew in a deep breath, his open shirt falling back to expose his crimson guild mark in its entirety. "N-no! It can't be." The man let out a devastating yowl as Kairyn wrapped his hand around his head and tossed him to the side, attracting further attention as his arms ignited at his side in golden flame.

.

Towering above the average man by at least two feet, he looked down on his quarry with no sign of mercy in his eyes. "Let this day mark the annihilation of your dark legacy," he rumbled ferociously, the flames flickering fiercely around him like beasts waiting to spring from their cages. "And taste the wrath you sought to release upon this world. Infinite flame dragon roar!"

.

Jellal watched in horror as the screams of the suffering pierced the air above the sound of Kairyn's snarls for only a split second before nothing was left to offer a plea to the dead air around the charred skeleton of the guild. "I've seen a lot of things in my day, but I have never met anyone so ruthless." He murmured distantly.

.

"He can't be human!" Meredy whimpered from behind a desperately denied grimace, sealing her eyes to the sight. "How could anyone be so openly heartless?"

.

"He mentioned a prince the last time we spoke." Ultear managed softly. "Jellal? Do you know who he is speaking of?"

.

"I don't…" Jellal offered in distress, turning to join the rest of his guild. "But whoever he is, he is capable of leashing the power that we just witnessed incinerating the entirety of the dark guild Marionette." His brow furrowed forebodingly as he started back through the lifeless woods around them. "It's too early to rule out a connection to Zeref… For now, we should treat he and his guild as respected allies."

.

"Wait! You mean to tell me that Kairyn is part of a guild?!" Meredy exclaimed in horror. "What kind of guild would mark such a monster?!"

.

"His own..." Jellal ascertained sternly, taking one last look at the menacing glower of the dragon slayer beneath them as he glared back in awareness of their presence. "For now, all we can do is try to stay on his good side..."

.

* * *

.

Neirah's heart stopped as she felt the earth rumble beneath her and a tremendous force of magical backlash swept her feet from beneath her. She whimpered softly, barely looking over her shoulder as she hurried uncertainly to her feet. 'What was that?' She thought in alarm. 'Have they already found me?' Neirah flinched with the sound of dry forest foliage ringing incredibly sharp in her ears, forcing her to whirl around, her teeth bared in defence as she scoured the land. "Who's there!?" She demanded furiously. "Show yourself!" Her wounded heart stopped beating when her father struck the ground at her feet, clinging to his broken body. Her gaze narrowed vehemently. "It's you. How DARE you show yourself to me after what you've done!" She wailed through a fresh batch of tears. "I thought I had buried all of you in the guild! Why are you still alive!?" She demanded, kicking his hand away from where it reached out to her.

.

"Ne-Neirah... my daughter... please... don't cry." He managed weakly, drawing his hand back towards his body.

.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?! All my friends are gone because of you!" She cried, shaking her head as she backed away from him. "I can feel their wounds like they're my own! You brought them pain! You caused their suffering! Just DIE!" She screamed.

.

"I will, soon, child." She froze and watched her weakened father struggle to stand before her. "But please... do not cry for the death of your friends." She shook her head, thoughts of ending him herself crossing her mind.

.

"I would finish you myself if I didn't want you to suffer!" His delicate tears at her feet had a strange feeling overcoming her and suddenly, she was losing focus on her anger towards him.

.

"That you feel... that you feel your friend's... pain..." He gasped before dropping to his knees with exhaustion. "Means... it means they live." Neirah's eyes widened until she thought that colour would leave them entirely. His words echoed in her mind, her heart thundering in her ears as she trembled before him.

.

"W-why... why are you telling me this?" She whimpered softly, trying to believe a man that had deceived her so many times previously.

.

"I don't want to lose you... Now that my tired eyes can finally see the woman that you've... become."

.

Neirah fell to his side as he collapsed, tears filling her eyes once more as she reached out to him. "Father… Y-you… The Puppet Master's spell…?" She stammered out uncertainly.

.

"Was broken... the moment you ended his life… my child…" Neirah's eyes burned with the absence of her blinking as she stared into her dirty palms. Her head reeled but despite her presence of mind she couldn't focus on a single thought; realisation striking her hard with his expulsion. She had killed again.

.

"So, I did… He's dea-" She flinched as her father wheezed out a hard breath and trembled away from where he sat before her. "D-daddy? Wait, h-hang on I-" She reached out and caught him as he fell forwards, a small amount of relief filling her that she had at least succeeded in freeing her father from Marionette's control.

.

"It's too late for me," he whispered weakly, a trembling hand reaching to her face. "I brought this curse upon you, but without the knowledge of how it works, you will surely be lost to madness."

.

"W-wait how what works. How do you know the others survived? All of them? Did they all make it?" She rushed out frantically.

.

Karua smiled weakly and closed his eyes. "Close your eyes and listen to your heart. For every beat yours takes, it circulates the blood of seven through your body." Neirah obeyed him and with doubt in her mind, she closed her eyes.

.

Neirah's father started to fade as he watched the light of her magic aura surrounding her. "Know the power of the unity... of the infinite dragon slayer. The power to bring them together… or tear them apart."

.

* * *

.

"I don't care what you all say! There's a damn dragon out there that needs a butt kickin'!" Natsu raged impatiently, spitting flames irately as he stormed through the guild hall.

.

"Natsu, calm down! Your wounds are too bad!" Lucy begged as she and Gray struggled to hold him back.

.

* * *

.

Neirah's eyes flew open and her heart skipped a beat. "Natsu...?" She turned to her father when he coughed in her arms.

.

"That is all... that I have time to offer you." He murmured apologetically. "So, with our parting, I leave you with this hope. A hope that... I pray saves you from suffering Reku's fate."

.

"Wait, who is Reku? What was his fate?! I don't understand!" She exclaimed uncertainly, her hands trembling against him. "The Puppet Master's magic... it's gone. Why is this happening?!"

.

He smiled warmly as his hand slipped away from her face. "I always loved you and your mother, Neirah. Please... forgive..."

.

Neirah's throat ached with the well of her tears as her father slipped out of consciousness in her arms. "Daddy no!" She called out sadly, her arms shaking as she held him to her chest. "I'm so sorry... I tried to save you but all I did was make things worse. I don't know what to do. Daddy, I'm scared, please don't leave me... please..." Her voice faded as her gentle sobs overtook her ability to speak, her mind unusually airy despite the earlier turmoil she faced over her memories resurfacing. Her heart was aching pitifully until she heard the delicate laughter of a familiar child in her head. Her eyes opened and she stared into dawn's light.

.

* * *

.

"Hey Wendy, how about giving us a hand?" Gray asked as he tugged on Natsu's leg like it would force him to let go of the door frame that he clung to sideways.

.

"I'm sorry... I actually kind of agree with Natsu." The child admitted sheepishly, Carla settled comfortably between her arms.

.

"You wha?!" Gray and Lucy exclaimed simultaneously.

.

* * *

.

'Wendy!' Neirah's heart leapt with hope as she looked down into her father's gentle features at rest. Neirah gently closed her eyes and tipped her head back, raising her hands above her father's chest. 'The sky dragon...'

.

* * *

.

 _Neirah watched her violet-scaled hands tremble as poison hissed at her feet while it ate away at the flesh of her enemy. Ebony claws shone behind golden flames as fire faded from her forearms and left her to watch as abilities that were never her own passed before her comprehension. "Na-Natsu?"_

.

* * *

.

"Please... Wendy... I need your help." She whimpered softly.

.

* * *

.

Wendy stilled, her mind blanking nervously with a familiar presence ensnaring her. Natsu finally released the door frame and made his way to her side, his face twisted curiously as hers paled. "Yo Wendy, what's with the pale face?" He asked her in concern.

.

"S-someone's talking to me..." She whispered gently, staring into the empty distance.

.

"Wait, what!?" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief.

.

"They... they're asking me for my help..." She whispered faintly, listening to Neirah's gentle pleas.

.

* * *

.

The wind picked up around them and Neirah's heart fluttered with the uplifting feeling of hope that she had made contact with two of her fellow dragon slayers. "Please..." Neirah whimpered gently, the soft flow of her tears rolling over her face. "Please help me save him."

.

* * *

.

"What is it, Master, what are we looking for here?" Mira asked in concern, watching Levy slip her wind reader glasses from her pocket.

.

"I need you two to help me scour the archives, specifically in the area of lost magics... blood magic rituals."

.

"You think we have something specific here that will help you figure out which one was used on Neirah?" Mira crooned delicately.

.

"I need more information to confirm my suspicions. But if my hunch is right, and what Erza said was true, we could all be in very grave danger."

.

* * *

.

"It's good to see you up and out of bed." Gajeel turned his head to where Levy folded her arms in front of her lap, her downcast gaze solemn. "I'm sorry I panicked like that... It's just hard for me to-"

.

"I get it." She raised her soft teary gaze to where he had turned away again. "I saw it in the way she was actin'. I knew she was planning on runnin' and I let her." He laid his head in his hands and stared into the wood grain of the tabletop. "You got nothin' to apologise for..." He rose and turned to face her. "If anyone should be sorry, it should be me."

.

She stared up into his dark features, her heart breaking for the pain he obviously concealed. "Gajeel..." She whimpered gently. The static hum of quiet conversation in the room silenced when he drew his fist back before slamming it down through the tabletop.

.

"I should've killed that snake when I had the chance!" He roared furiously. "She may have hated me until the day I died but she'd still be alive!" He winced and gripped his agitated wounds in agony.

.

Levy offered him a small reassuring smile and parted her lips to speak before Makarov appeared on the balcony. "Natsu." He started certainly. "And Wendy." The two along with Lucy and Gray turned to face the Master with quizzical expressions. "Gajeel, Laxus." Laxus tipped his gaze upwards from where he had casually been observing Gajeel's outburst. "You too…" His throat worked when Gajeel's gaze met his for the briefest of moments. "I must speak with you all immediately." With his invitation, Makarov turned and disappeared down the hall.

.

"Wow... I don't think I've ever seen the Master this serious." Lucy murmured softly. "What do you think is going on?"

.

"I don't know for sure, but I've got a pretty good guess." Gray started, throwing his hands in his pockets. "He wants to speak to all the dragon slayers in the guild, one of which recently lost their lives. Natsu, Wendy and Laxus claimed to have heard a dragon outside. Now he wants to talk to them all like it's some important secret. Do you really think its coincidence?" Lucy gasped before turning to a worried Wendy.

.

"Does it have something to do with the voice in my head?" She whispered softly. She flinched when Natsu grabbed her wrist and began his charge after their master.

.

"Well stop screwin' around and let's go find out!"

.

Gajeel turned to look at Levy whose comforting touch was still embracing his arm. "You're going to want to go see the Master." She encouraged. The genuine hope in her inspiring expression soothed him in the wake of tragedy and made him feel like a weight was about to lift from his chest. After a long moment of connected gazes where either was trying to read the other, he finally turned to follow them.

.

* * *

.

Master Makarov stood before them with a worried look on his face, obviously pondering his thoughts. "Come on, gramps, tell us what's going on. Why all the secrecy?" Natsu demanded impatiently.

.

"This is a good news, bad news, worse news situation." He started slowly, keeping his gaze concealed with his racing thoughts. "Now, I need you all to listen very carefully to what I say. We don't have time for me to repeat myself." The group of slayers started to feel the same unsettling uncertainty as Makarov finally lifted his exposed gaze. "I will take it upon myself to start with the good news, but despite the gravity of what I'm about to say I demand your full attention afterwards."

.

'No... Salamander saw it. He watched her disappear!' Gajeel's heart couldn't have beat any faster as he watched Makarov part his lips to divulge in the good news he claimed to have. "It can't be."

.

"It's the truth," Makarov assured them certainly. "Our Neirah is very much still alive."

.

"Wha' no way!?" Natsu demanded in utter disbelief. "Then why hasn't she come back here, huh? Are you trying to say she's still with that dark puppet guild? Wah! What if she's trying to come home but she's still too hurt?! AH! She could be in trouble! We gotta go save-Hyuh!" Wendy flinched to the side when a giant fist squashed Natsu flat.

.

"I demanded that I keep your attention despite this news, or have you already forgotten that bad and worse come after this!?"

.

"Idiot…" Laxus scoffed with disinterest under his breath.

.

"How can you be sure?"

.

Makarov shifted his gaze to where Gajeel trembled with welling emotions, his resolve clearly shaken with mistrust.

.

After a long moment, Gajeel raised his head, a fierce look in his eyes as he threw his fist out in front of him. "Don't screw with me old man! The others watched her die! If this is some lame way of upping morale around here, you're dead wrong!"

.

Makarov released Natsu and regained his composure. "They watched her disappear, not die." Gajeel fell back a step in submission, his wide gaze trembling in disbelief. "Considering Neirah's habits that have rightfully earned her the nickname you've so affectionately bestowed upon her, I wouldn't have expected surprise from you, Gajeel." He opened his eyes and looked up at him in certainty. "I wouldn't lie about something like this, especially when the stakes are so high. But if you really need proof, the dragon you all heard earlier this evening will suffice."

.

"What are you talking about?" Wendy asked softly.

.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the dragon you all thought you heard was the newly awakened blood dragon summoned forth by the Puppet Master, and our dear friend Neirah." Hearts stopped simultaneously as morale instantly dropped again.

.

"What did you just say?" Natsu demanded in disbelief.

.

"What the hell is a blood dragon?!" Laxus demanded.

.

"Well, I suppose now is a good time to move onto the bad news." Makarov started humbly.

.

"After taking in all accounts of this story, I started to put the pieces together. Then myself, Mirajane and Levy began our tireless search through the archives. I found what I was looking for, but I had really hoped I was wrong."

.

"Spit it out already!" Gajeel demanded impatiently. "What'd that freak do to my kid sister!?"

.

"The ritual performed that night was a blood magic ritual called the Blood Dragon Awakening; a lost and forbidden magic that was only ever practised once to my recollection. It was a failed attempt that claimed the wizard's life with the purpose of summoning forth a great dragon-slaying force. The ritual required the blood of seven others. The Puppet Master obviously thought that making the seven blood sacrifices dragon slayer magic users would only make the host stronger when he was successful."

.

"Wait a sec, are you saying that a real dragon's out there somewhere thanks to us?" Gajeel inquired hastily.

.

"Not any more or less real than the four of you." He assured him softly. "According to Erza's description of the night's events, I believe the guild was looking to force the abilities of unity on young Neirah."

.

"You see, this dragon slayer magic is similar in almost all aspects to say Natsu's fire dragon slayer magic." Mira chimed in, approaching them with a book in her hands. "It is referred to as unity dragon slayer magic; a magic that can take on the attributes of multiple parties. So far history would have us believe that this blood magic ritual is the only way for a wizard to obtain this ability." She flipped through some pages in a book and showed a diagram. "History will attribute this type of magic to legend because no one had ever seen it used before. But we've seen that Natsu and Neirah have both already proven that wrong with their combination attacks that fuse the elements. Natsu's fire and lightning and Neirah's shadow and lightning. It was something only vaguely mentioned in fables written by a group of cultists worshiping something called a rainbow dragon."

.

"Man, your lightning really gets around." Natsu teased Laxus in distraction.

.

"NATSU! Pay attention!" Makarov fumed irately.

.

"NaAHH! Aye, sir!"

.

"The only way anyone suspected to achieve these skills was to perform a sacrificial ritual to awaken powers in a certain vessel, giving them the physical advantage of being able to withstand all the elements, similar to how Natsu's body is invulnerable to fire." Mirajane finished educationally. "The ritual was developed by this ancient cult to try and merge a dragon with a wizard to create an ultimate dragon slaying force."

.

"This may be the most disturbing of the realities. The blood dragon fusion ritual that the dark guild Marionette attempted requires the sacrifice of the castor… and blood of an actual dragon." Makarov added solemnly.

.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Where the hell did they find that?!" Gajeel demanded furiously.

.

"I don't care how tough Neirah's dad thought he was! We all saw what happened on Tenrou Island." Laxus shouted sceptically. "There's no way in hell that they took down Acnologia, and all the other lizards disappeared years ago!"

.

"That's not our biggest concern right now," Makarov assured them sternly. "The damage is already done but if what Erza said was true, no actual sacrifice was made during the time of the ritual if the Puppet Master really did escape with his life. There is no way to know if it was a success without retrieving the host." Makarov cut a determined gaze their way. "Despite the means in which she was created, she still practices the same magic as you four on an all too literal level."

.

"Yea 'cept a hell of a lot more creepy..." Natsu groaned dismally. The light bulb came on moments after and he lunged forwards in demand. "Hold on a second! Does that mean to power up she eats-"

.

"Blood? Leave it to you to come up with such a foolhardy question." Makarov groaned. "No, like any of you, I assume she will consume her element, which is not blood." He finished, paling the others with their disbelief. "But if the ritual was a success, she is most likely now capable of accepting any of the known elements to take her power to cataclysmic heights." He lowered his head with a soft sigh. "I fear for this situation because Neirah has always been full of isolation and uncertainty. The added confusion of these abilities is going to make matters even worse and I fear that Marionette may be using that fact to their advantage. A weakened mind is easy to manipulate… and if unchallenged they will no doubt end up with the weapon they seek." He let his gaze roam over them. "Wendy's sky dragon magic, Natsu's fire, Laxus' lightning and even your iron dragon slayer magic, Gajeel. He could use any of them against you. The kind of magic this Puppet Master claims to use… it is a dangerous forbidden magic that seems to have claimed both Neirah and her father. I doubt there is a wizard alive that could fight that kind of deception." Makarov sighed solemnly. "Not even our Neirah."

.

"You're wrong..." Laxus added a bit gentler than before, drawing their group's attention to where he had remained silent before. "She didn't just leave after our fight. She came to me before that..." Laxus stared into the ground distantly. "She didn't want whatever they planned to do with her. In fact, she tried to prevent it!" He defended enthusiastically. "First, she didn't want to fight me at all, and after the fight, all she cared about was getting me to protect the rest of them." He cut his gaze definitively towards his grandfather. "She wouldn't have done those things if she hadn't at least had some thoughts of her own."

.

"It's true!" Wendy supported enthusiastically. "Neirah begged Erza to take her life in order to stop them! She broke the control again to try and save her brother!"

.

Master Makarov dropped his head in thought. "Hm, then perhaps there is hope." He managed slowly. "Neirah has always been a bit of a lone wolf, even after joining the guild. I can only hope that the relationships she's developed with the guild members over the years can somehow shake her free of it. It certainly isn't unheard of. You can put the finger on the trigger but you can't make her shoot the ones she loves."

.

"You're damn right there's hope! I don't care how crazy this jerk is, I'm going to find him and bleed him dry for taking her from me!" Gajeel roared vehemently. "If he wants to mess with dragons then he's in for a whole world of hurt!"

.

Makarov sighed and nodded his head. "All in time, Gajeel. There is still the worst news that you four have to contend with."

.

"More?!" Natsu whined. "I really don't think my brain can take much more."

.

"I'm surprised it lasted this long." Laxus murmured coldly.

.

"Hey, shut up over there!" Natsu blinked before double taking at Wendy who had distanced herself a bit from the others. "Yo, what's wrong with Windy?"

.

"It's Wendy, you nimrod!" Gajeel spat out in frustration.

.

"Yea yea sure, but what the heck is she doing? Healing the floor?"

.

Master Makarov observed her carefully as he joined the others. "If healing magic is the one she chooses to use, then we should all consider this a blessing in disguise." The other three slayers turned their attention to their master.

.

"Are you saying that Wendy is healing Neirah from here?" Natsu asked naively.

.

"No. See what I didn't finish explaining is that the unity obtained by the blood dragon ritual isn't her own. That is why the guild needed to take the power from other wizards. Now, Neirah will possess the abilities used in the ritual."

.

Gajeel's gaze widened in panic and he was struck breathless with the force of his memories.

.

* * *

 _._

 _"They left behind some curious books that left me to investigate further. First, I found a book on the history of forbidden magic. This doesn't surprise me now that I realise my father was actually a magic user, but when I ran into him seven years ago, he wasn't using spells that were particularly dark."_

 _._

 _"Perhaps he was just curious." Lily offered a theory._

 _._

 _"Nah, I don't think so," Gajeel added thoughtfully. "More likely fixin' to get into some freaky stuff. Her father's a nasty son of a bitch. I doubt he'd have the guts to even attempt it though after the pounding I gave him seven years ago."_

 _._

 _"_ _That was my theory as well. I hadn't heard anything about his whereabouts for the entire time you were away; not that I was concerned much about him. So, I did some sleuthing." She explained. "Digging through the rubble, I found some strange notes on a dragon that could harness the power of not just one element, but virtually all of them. What he referred to as the Rainbow Dragon of Unity was believed to be a myth; something of a child's fable."_

 _._

 _"_ _Sounds vicious." Gajeel mocked quietly._

 _._

 _"Well if my theory is correct, it was." She assured him sternly. "Because, if what I concluded is true, the dragon my father took such an interest in was Ryverika."_

.

* * *

.

'Not good…' Gajeel thought darkly to himself. 'He's not gettin' the full story…' His head bowed in silent contemplation. 'If Ryverika really was the rainbow dragon, then the kid already knew how to use all the other elements…' He growled lowly and flexed his fist even as he swelled with relief. 'The ritual must not have worked because _somebody_ didn't get their fucking facts straight…'

.

"I don't know where the other samples came from for this ritual's execution or who exactly helped to create this dilemma. We know that dragon slayers seemed to have been targeted and we can probably safely assume that the other three involved also practised dragon slayer magic. And whether or not the casting was a success, the danger of her absorption will be the residual link that comes with it. You don't just fuse sample of other beings without leaving a mark on the subject. Like it or not, she's directly connected to all of you and that can be a terrifying thought."

.

"Wow, talk about one big happy dragon slaying family, huh?" Natsu added in thought.

.

"Right, speak for yourself," Gajeel grumbled dismally.

.

"I can tell he's taking this seriously…" Laxus grumbled distantly.

.

"This is what makes this the worst part of my story. If the Puppet Master is still in control of Neirah, there is no telling how far her vulnerable mind will be lost to his deceptions. Right now, it seems that she has already made contact with Wendy and we can safely assume that she is healing someone who has fallen. Sadly, even healing magic can be dark if she's wasting it on the wrong person."

.

"So, we know what's goin' on." Gajeel cut his gaze back to the master seriously. "Now what're we gonna do about it?"

.

"I'm glad you asked." Makarov mused proudly. "I am going to send out a team that will take this news to the magic council. It's important that they too are made aware of the situation, especially when one of the members of the Oration Sais was rumoured to have been sought out as well. Somebody needs to take care of Marionette. You four will return to where Neirah was last seen and apprehend her from the guild's possession. But be cautioned that members of the guild are reported masters of illusion and memory manipulation! Treat everyone like an enemy until they are proven to be a friend! Even and most especially Neirah."

.

"Ain't nobody getting in my head!" Natsu demanded in determination.

.

"Though why someone would want in an empty head is beyond me."

.

"Shut up, Laxus! You wanna start somethin'?! Bring it on! I'll take you right-" Natsu was silenced by an irate chunk of iron to his face.

.

"I'll head out with these two for one reason only... and that's Shadow. But I swear if either of you get in my way, I'll knock yer fucking heads off your shoulders, empty or not."

.

Makarov sighed as Natsu leapt on the defensive and the three started to bicker like children. "One big happy family indee-" He gasped as Wendy fell forwards to the floor with a soft whimper. "Wendy! Whatever is wrong?"

.

She smiled up at him weakly as he helped her to her feet.

.

"Man, Wendy are you ok? Is the floor gonna make it?" Natsu toppled over due to his second taste of iron in such a brief time.

.

"What did I say, huh?" Gajeel growled impatiently.

.

"He's going to be ok." Wendy murmured through her happy tears.

.

"Who are you talking to?" Natsu asked curiously from the floorboards, watching the tears roll over Wendy's smiling face. She giggled softly and tilted her head to one side.

.

Natsu, Laxus and Gajeel stilled, watching Wendy as she smiled hopefully up at them. "Neirah, of course."

.

* * *

.

Neirah smiled softly before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her father's forehead. Her mind grew hazy as she seemed to have been recalling forgotten childhood memories. "Thank you, Daddy..." She whispered. "Next time we meet, I hope you're ready to pick up where we left off."

.

* * *

.

 _"Daddy! Look! I made a painting! I made it all on my own!"_

 _._

 _"That's great, Neirah!" He took the painting in his hands and examined it. "It kind of looks like shadows doing a little dance." He offered, a supportive smile on his face._

 _._

 _"It is!" She giggled gleefully. "One day I want to be a shadow too, Daddy!"_

 _._

 _He looked down at her in concern. "Oh? And what makes you want that?" He questioned cautiously._

 _._

 _"That way! I can be all sneaky! And jump out of nowhere to give you a great big hug!" She leapt up against him with a delighted smile and wrapped her arms around him. "That way I'll always be there to hug you!"_

.

* * *

.

Her young voice rang out in sync with her as she spoke out loud to herself: "Always right there. Hiding in your shadow." She turned her head with a soft smile, tears glistening with dawn's light and leaking over her face as she sealed happy eyes. "Goodbye Daddy." She whispered softly, her heart warming to the thought of his presence.

.

* * *

 _._

 _Maniacal laughter echoed through the woods that day that innocence was stolen. Like a thief in the shadows, dark eyes opened once more._


	9. The Prince of Fairy Tail

"I don't understand why it is our responsibility to go gallivanting off after this deceptive little shrew."

.

Wendy threw her arms up in the air and snatched Carla mid-flight, quickly covering up the squirming feline's mouth. "Shh! Carla, don't say stuff like that with Gajeel around! There's no telling what he'll do to you!"

.

"Yea! He might rip off your wings and use them to make a funny hat!" Natsu chimed in sadistically, prancing around like a fool.

.

"Ah! Natsu you don't think Gajeel would actually do that, do you?!" Happy exclaimed frantically.

.

"No, but I might if you idiots don't stop talking nonsense." Happy and Natsu recoiled when Laxus tipped his previously diverted gaze their way with an unimpressed scowl. "You know as well as I do how much he cares about that kid. If something really did happen to her he'd never forgive himself." He paused and looked ahead solemnly to where Gajeel had left them a fair distance behind. 'To be honest, I might feel the same way if I wasn't so damned worried about facin' her again...'

.

* * *

.

 _"You should have thought of that before you left the way you did." His gaze flashed coldly as he eyed her down and tried to void himself of any attachment he had to her. "I'm not afraid of your abilities like the others..." He rumbled hoarsely, denying her his gaze. "And I won't hold back because you used to be our friend!"_

.

* * *

.

'Man, so this is what denial feels like, huh?' Laxus tipped his head back and watched the clouds roll in before a small smile found his lips with the crashing of thunder in the distance. 'Fitting...'

.

.

 **The Prince of Fairy Tail**

.

.

Neirah stumbled against another tree before finally reaching the end of the forest, her sights roaming the vast mountain range that separated her from- what? "Where am I even going?" She whined softly. She looked down at her weary toes before looking back over the rocky plains yet to be travelled. "I guess from here on out I'm on my own." She released the tree to take her first step before collapsing on the rocky ledge. She whimpered softly before stilling, her well of emotions getting the better of her until she overflowed with agony. "I-I'm so helpless." She blubbered desperately. "How does Wendy do it? I could barely save my own father and it's left me drained." She crawled back to the tree line and slipped back under the blanket she'd brought with her, trying to use the trees to break the wind slicing through the mountains. "You were right big brother… I am still just a scared little kid…" She raised her knees to her chest and laid her teary face against them. "I've never felt... so cold. So... alone..."

.

* * *

.

 _Gajeel stopped along his path and cast his gaze downwards towards where a still figure waved a brush along a piece of canvas. He looked up to the sky at the stormy clouds and then dropped his curious gaze back to the small cloaked figure. "You know it's rainin'... right?"_

.

* * *

.

Neirah's body started to tremble as she reminisced. She felt safer beneath the heavy fabric she'd claimed as her cloak, it was a feeling she was used to. It reminded her of an easier time.

.

* * *

.

 _"Hey! Notta damn chance, Shadow!" Gajeel snatched the lowered hood of Neirah's cloak and reined the rebellious child back into the shelter. "I don't need you gettin' sick. I don't know the first thing about takin' care of a sick little brat."_

 _._

 _"Awe come on, Screwball, don't be mean! You know I like to paint in the rain!" She defended bitterly, trying to squirm away from his iron grasp._

 _._

 _"Yea? Well, I like you dry and not sick!"_

 _._

 _"But-!"_

 _._

 _"No 'but's. Here." Neirah watched him pick up a bucket and toss it out in the rain. "There, when the rain's done fillin' it, I'll dump it on your stupid picture. Then you get your screwed up painting, and I get my not sick roomie. Deal?" Neirah's heart warmed as she lost control of her restraint and threw her arms around her big brother._

.

* * *

.

"Deal." She whispered softly to the cold air around her, the wind carrying her hair across her face. She watched from the shelter of the trees as the first raindrops fell to the ground. 'Even though I know they're still alive… Some part of me still wishes that Erza had of ended this.' She laid her pounding head to one side of her bruised knees. 'I miss them so much, but how can I face them after what I did?'

.

"How many times can I say I'm sorry?" She whimpered out from behind barred teeth. "Should I go back or keep walking? No matter how far I go in any direction, salvation is out of my grip." She clenched her fist, remembering what it had felt like to have her touch melt through another human's flesh. "Why can't I just decide?!" She couldn't hold her tears back anymore, and with her gentle whisper, they started to fall. "Laxus…"

.

* * *

.

 _"I can make you forget this whole conflict." The Puppet Master mused darkly, sipping his wine once more. "Get me what I want and I will make this all go away."_

 _._

 _"Don't you dare..." She growled in devastation, barring her teeth in defiance. "Don't you dare touch those memories!"_

.

* * *

.

"I don't… I don't want to forget…" She squeaked, her hands clenching her knees once more. "But... why shouldn't I?" She sealed her eyelids and forced her tears to fall. "I betrayed him, betrayed our friends... but..." She shook her head and replaced her thoughts with rage. "How is that any different then what he did to the guild seven years ago?!" She threw her face into her hands with a frustrated scream. "If they can forgive him, they can forgive me too! CAN'T THEY!?" She gasped with her words and her cheeks quickly coloured. "Di-did I really just say... that?" She trembled as she stood, but she forced it upon herself. "How could I be... so heartless..." She stumbled a step forwards before regaining her balance and starting across the mountain side.

.

* * *

.

 _"Oh how cute, you think you know what end my means foretell. Regardless, my dear, you said friends but nothing of lovers." Neirah's tears scattered when she raised her head to observe her guild master tipping two fingers to his head as he rolled it to one side. "Maybe you should have told him sooner."_

.

* * *

.

"No!" She wailed, tears scattering around her denied expression. "I'm never going back!" She flinched and recoiled with the loud crack of lightning cutting through the rain that drove against the mountainside she intended on crossing. "He-They're better off without me!" Finding her feet beneath her, she clutched her makeshift cloak and started to run across the stormy mountainside, tears hiding in her eyes as she screamed the pain of every step. She winced as another crack of lightning coloured the sky. She drew up and stopped in her tracks, glaring out over the forest beneath in bitter rage. "Shut up!" She roared, closing her eyes to deny herself the sight. She was only greeted by a strike closer to her than she expected and it may as well have split her heart in two. Her eyes flew open to observe the golden streaks painting the stormy sky before her. "No! I'm never going back to Fairy Tail!" The storm's lightning was well outshone by her as the infinite lightning dragon emerged from inside to challenge the elements head on. "Do you hear me?! NEVER!"

.

* * *

.

Laxus' heart raced as the cry echoed in his ears, chills crawling over his skin as he watched a brilliant glow illuminate the mountainside they approached with the loudest clap of thunder that they had heard yet. He took a slow step forwards, refusing to take his wide eyes off of where the glow slowly started to fade back into the storm.

.

"You know? I could really go for a snack right about now." Natsu grumbled. "All this rain is depressing and depression makes me hungry!"

.

"Me too..." Happy whined in agreement. The two flinched when Laxus took off from where he had been standing behind them relatively calmly a moment before. "Ah!"

.

"Yo, what's gotten into him?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow and watched him storm towards the forest borders.

.

"Maybe the storm gives him an energy boost." Happy mused curiously.

.

"Gajeel, I know you're worried about S-s-shadow, b-but this storm is only going to b-burden us if we try to push through it," Pantherlily warned casually, his paws covering his ears. "I just d-don't think it's wise."

.

"Shut up. It doesn't bother me in the least." Gajeel tipped a sharp peripheral gaze his way. "S'Wrong? Don't like the lightning?"

.

"Nonsense!" Lily defended, trying not to rattle while Gajeel was looking. "I-I just thought as a dragon of iron, h-heading up a mountain during a s-storm may be a little unsettling."

.

Gajeel cut his bitter gaze sharply to where the cat had taken flight alongside him. "Is'that supposed to be a lightning rod joke, furbrain?"

.

"I don't think there is anything funny about 40,000 volts coursing through a human's body." Just as Gajeel reached out to grab the cat, they were broken up by Laxus' figure rushing past.

.

"What the heck? What's gotten into him all of a sudden?" Gajeel rumbled suspiciously.

.

'That's gotta be her.' He thought desperately. His breath fell short when he was blindsided by the interruption of an iron fist.

.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Gajeel demanded impatiently. "We're supposed to stay together and shit. Not go walkin' right into some generally idiot proof trap! I'd expect this of Salamander, but not you!" It wasn't long and sparks found the impatient lightning slayer's fist while butting heads with Gajeel.

.

"Listen here you walking scrap heap! You're not the only one who cares about Neirah!" Laxus raged furiously, past the point of concealing his concern. "And I don't care what the old geezer says, there's no way she's still under that bastard's control!"

.

"Oh yeah?! And how do you know that!? Tell me before I drown you in the mud, pretty boy!"

.

Pantherlily flinched with the next crack of thunder as it illuminated the furious slayers in conflict and he fluttered to the ground submissively. "Can we please do this somewhere else?" He mewled softly.

.

"Wait... why are you two fighting?" Wendy cooed innocently when she and Natsu finally caught up to the stampeding lightning dragon.

.

" _Sparky_ here thinks he has a lead on Shadow and he ain't sharing," Gajeel growled vehemently.

"Yea I never was any good at that." Laxus snarled defensively through his teeth. "And only Neirah can get away with calling me Sparky, _Screwball_." Laxus hissed furiously, sparks crawling along his tensed forearms.

.

"You lookin' for a scrap, blondie?"

.

"Ragh! Who the hell cares! If he's got a lead just shut up and follow him!" Natsu roared angrily. "I wanna get out of this rain and finding Shadow is the quickest way to do that!"

.

Laxus finally dropped his gaze with a defiant scoff, his teeth ground to deny his despair. "Tsk, you morons wouldn't believe me even if I told you." He muttered distantly.

.

"Well, you could at least try." Carla chirped in nosily, folding her arms over her little chest as she hovered nearby.

.

"Aye." Happy agreed enthusiastically.

.

Laxus sighed and gathered his thoughts for a moment. "Fine." He spat out reluctantly. "Just a few minutes ago, out of nowhere, I felt this weird presence like..." He growled lightly to himself with the frustration of articulating the sensation. Gajeel's fiery gaze didn't waver as he glared at the man. "It was like everything I had belonged to someone else. I got this cheesy feeling like I was in pain, but I hadn't moved. A surge of power that just came out of nowhere..."

.

"You sure you didn't just get struck by lightning?" Natsu muttered with a sly snort.

.

"Don't be an idiot!" Pantherlily hissed impatiently.

.

"I know exactly what you're talking about!" Wendy added enthusiastically, turning to face a startled Laxus.

.

"Oh good, wasn't sure it was gettin' across…"

.

"That was exactly how I felt when I heard Neirah's voice in my head asking me for my help!"

.

"Really!? You got struck by lightning too, Wendy?!" Natsu crooned naively. "What's'it like?!"

.

"I don't know, you tell us, Natsu. Seeing as you ate more of my lightning in the past than your own damn fire."

.

"Hey! You know I can't eat my own fire!" Natsu fumed bitterly.

.

Gajeel turned his head and looked up into the mountain peaks with a darkening expression as the others discussed the strange sensation. 'We must be close then.' Gajeel turned to face the others and silenced them when he raised his voice impatiently nearby. "Alright! We'll make it into the forest and crash there for the night. We have to remember what the old man said. If for whatever reason Shadow ain't herself, we have to be ready for the worst." He shot a bitter glare at Laxus when he opened his mouth to defy his command. "I don't believe it either, ok?! But after all she's been through, I expect at least some of it to screw with the kid's head..."

.

He sighed distantly as Wendy and Natsu followed the Exceeds into the forest, his thoughts wandering with his apprehension. 'The kid's got guts, but she hasn't always been that way...'

.

* * *

.

 _"Go away!" The little girl screamed bitterly in demand, still trying to hide her tears. "Just leave me alone! Everyone else... does..." Guilt hit him hard in the next moments when he thought about the poor girl's past. First her father, then her mother, and on top of that, a second mysterious guardian who had adopted her had also vanished without a word. He clenched his fist tightly and remained at her bedside, a similar wound still healing on him as well._

 _._

 _"Ain't gonna happen." Neirah's tears flowed from wide eyes as she stared at the dark wall. "You may be a stubborn little nightmare, but even if you are just a shadow, yer my shadow, kid."_

.

* * *

.

Gajeel lowered his gaze solemnly, his fist tightened at his side. 'I'd never seen 'er cry so hard until he came back... She was finally free of that jackass, Karua, and then he goes and shows his ugly mug all over the request board. I'll ram his teeth in myself.'

.

"I thought you were close to this girl?" Gajeel tipped his gaze to where Pantherlily remained at his side while the others made camp. "I was under the impression that you two had quite the history…"

.

"You could say that..." Gajeel rumbled slowly in response.

.

"I find it difficult to understand. You say you care for her but then detour the search the moment Laxus has a lead on her location." Lily interrogated smoothly.

.

"To be honest, I don't want that jerk anywhere near her. If he wasn't the old man's grandkid I'd leave him out here and take Shadow back in his place." Gajeel added bluntly. "He can fall off the map for all I care."

.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Lily inquired further.

.

"I got my reasons, ok?" Gajeel spat back swiftly. "And don't forget, he squared off against Shadow while she was under that moron's control. He treated her just like one of the other goons they'd sent after us! The kid'd never willingly hurt the people she gave a damn about, which says a lot about him! Because she STILL put his ass in the dirt! The jerk never even said he was sorry."

.

Lily dropped his head and sighed, realising that he was making little headway. "Not everyone knows this girl as well as you do, Gajeel." He started softly. "Perhaps Laxus is really withholding his concern, and saving his apology for the one who matters." Gajeel flinched when he caught Laxus looking his way and heated gazes met for a brief moment before Laxus turned and moved away from their camp.

.

"Oh yea, and just who would that be?" Gajeel barked back venomously.

.

"Shadow herself."

.

* * *

.

Laxus isolated himself from their camp and overlooked the mountain from where the fog had settled at its base. He rested his forearms on his knees with a heavy sigh and stared into the passing storm.

.

* * *

.

 _Laxus stilled awkwardly as she pressed herself up against his shoulder, her hands on either side of him where he sat. "Uh, Neirah? Just what'd'you think you're doing?"_

 _._

 _She smiled bashfully in his peripherals before she softly spoke. "Look…" She encouraged enthusiastically, tipping her head to where the moon cast a single shadow over the grass they sat in. "You're so big that I can hide in your shadow without using any magic at all." She teased, hoping that he at least found some humour in her light-hearted jokes. She watched the flicker of unspoken thought dance behind his cool reserve before sighing and sitting back next to him; unaware that her shadow still remained concealed with the casting of his own without the nearness she'd displayed. "I know, I know, I talk too much." She rushed out grimly. "I was just tryin' to-"_

 _._

 _"Hey..."_

 _._

 _She paused mid-sentence and turned to face him apprehensively._

 _._

 _"You know, I'm glad our roads brought us to the same place, for a while at least." He turned away to avoid the flood of colour in her cheeks with his comment. "Maybe you're right and this conversation might mean somethin' someday." He turned and offered her a reassuring smile, trying to lighten the mood that he'd significantly brought down during the course of their interactions. "You can hang out in my shadow for a bit, Little Lightning. I don't mind…"_

.

* * *

.

He clenched his fists, grinding teeth with the strain of his eagerness. "You were right..." He started slowly. "Even the bad things we do in the past shape our futures. Both the metal-head and I were on the verge of destroying the guild that currently embraces us as family, so why shouldn't we fight to bring you home? I don't care if you are dangerous. If someone else is pullin' your strings, it's our job to cut 'em." He turned and looked over his shoulder, observing that the others were all successfully distracted with each other's company. He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and climbing to his feet. "Shadow needs a light..." He murmured distantly, opening his eyes to glare directly at the camp the others had made. "If that's not going to be all of us, I'll do it alone."

.

* * *

.

"Hey... has anyone seen Laxus?" Wendy asked softly in concern as she finished eating next to the fire.

.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem like he's been gone a long time," Pantherlily added.

.

Gajeel scoffed from where he had leant back against the trunk of a distant tree, his arms folded behind his head. "If we're lucky, maybe he went back to the guild. Or even better, maybe the wolves got 'im."

.

"Oh no! You don't think he's in trouble do you?!" Wendy demanded in alarm.

.

"Nah, even if he did go back to the guild or something, Laxus can take care of himself," Natsu assured her through a mouthful of dinner. "We got nothin' to worry about."

.

"Crush my hopes n' dreams why don't ch'ya..." Gajeel grumbled indiscreetly.

.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but if Laxus left, then so did our lead on Neirah's location." Pantherlily reasoned diplomatically.

.

"Oh no that's right!" Happy shouted in panic.

.

"Is your petty rivalry with this Laxus fellow really worth this girl's safety?!" Carla bellowed furiously.

.

"We don't need him to find her." Gajeel ascertained firmly.

.

"Yea, us dragon slayers have a pretty keen sense of smell." Natsu comforted. "But I gotta say, you have been acting pretty weird lately. Er… weirder than usual. It's like you don't even want to look for Shads at all."

.

Natsu flinched when Gajeel's fist hit the ground next to him with a thunderous pound. "Ain't anybody here that wants to find her more than me. But you heard what the old man said!"

.

"Old man nothing!" Natsu interrupted feverishly. "The master isn't here and it's not like you to be so willing to follow somebody else's orders. I'm sure he'd want us to do whatever it takes to bring her home."

.

Gajeel was silent for a moment as he returned to the tree he'd been sitting against, resting his head back against the bark before continuing. "And tomorrow, we'll do that..." He rumbled faintly.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Hey Screwball, you busy?" A teenaged Neirah crooned softly, joining where Gajeel was sitting on the grass solemnly on his own. He grunted in acknowledgement but refused to turn and face her, allowing her to smile warmly and fold her legs beneath her mid-drop as she plopped down next to him. He shifted a peripheral gaze her way before redirecting it back out over the land, hoping she didn't bring up his wounds in conversation._

 _._

 _"_ _I thought you were leaving." He grumbled distantly._

 _._

 _"_ _Just on my way out." She assured him lightheartedly, dropping her head into his lap to look up at him. "I heard there's a fancy fairy Fantasia festival thingy going on. Kinda disappointed that I'ma miss it." He snorted in derision and stared into the sky from beneath his brow to avoid her playful demeanour._

 _._

 _"_ _Yea yea." He rushed out impatiently. "You come here just to mock me? Typical."_

 _._

 _"_ _Nah…" She purred lightly, fiddling with her hair as she stared into the clouds. "I came to ask a favour." His breath caught sharply as he tipped his gaze to where the young girl sprawled across his lap._

 _._

 _"_ _Oh yeah?" He pried bluntly. "And why should I do you a favour when all your gonna do is ditch me… again?"_

 _._

 _"_ _I won't be gone long, I promise…" She whispered softly, forcing his expression heavy with concern._

 _._

 _"_ _Well? Spit it out already."_

 _._

 _She swallowed dryly, colour flushing her cheeks as she rolled over in his lap to keep her attention diverted. She watched the twisting of strands in her hair as she braided them loosely. "Well… when I was little-"_

 _._

 _"_ _You mean littler?" He interrupted throwing his palm down on top of her head._

 _._

 _She wrinkled her nose and shoved his hand away with a soft smile. "Yea…" She agreed shortly. "Well… when I was little-R… I met a boy in this city… probably somewhere around your age." Her expression grew distant with her memories as they wandered. "I… I don't even know his name… but you'll recognise him by the scar on his face…" Gajeel grew tense in reminiscence of the fresh memories plaguing him moments before of an infuriated lightning dragon's wrath, the feeling of his statically charged foot slamming into his shoulders still fresh in his mind. "It kind of looked like a lightning bolt, now that I think of it…"_

 _._

 _'_ _You have GOT to be kidding me…'_

 _._

 _She giggled softly to herself, attracting her big brother's attention directly. "And he was really cool…" She swooned._

 _._

 _"_ _Alright, alright!" Gajeel rushed out heatedly, his mood growing sour as his little sister fawned over a man she didn't realise was his newest rival. "Just tell me what the damn favour is!" She spared him a wide silver gaze for a moment before smiling to herself humbly. 'Please say kill 'im.'_

 _._

 _"_ _Promise you won't laugh…?" She whispered lightly._

 _._

 _"_ _Trust me. Laughin' is the last thing on my mind right now." He grumbled unimpressed._

 _._

 _"_ _If you find him… I want you to be his friend…" Neirah was able to blink a couple of times as the silence grew before it had finally been cut._

 _._

 _"_ _WHAT!?" She cocked an eyebrow curiously as he desperately regained control over his raging temper. "I meant why." He spat out softly in cover._

 _._

 _"_ _When I met him… he looked pretty lonely." Gajeel's expression softened as he watched the unusually solemn emotions cross Neirah's gentle features. "I wanted to see him smile… but Ryverika and I weren't around long enough for me to ever find him again…" Her voice caught as she looked up at him with a sad grin. "I really just wanted to be his friend, you know? I wanted to be the reason he smiled… the reason he wasn't lonely anymore…"_

 _._

 _Gajeel turned his gaze away and locked his denial behind an even expression. 'Well, there ain't no way that's coincidence…' He thought gloomily to himself. He expelled a languid sigh before speaking again. "Look, half-pint, I dunno about friends, but I'll keep an eye out for scarface for ya." He tipped his gaze back her way with a deceptively crooked grin. "And if I find 'im? I'll hold him down til ya get back, deal?"_

 _._

 _Neirah's expression lit up and glowed rosy with her approving smile. "Deal…" A comfortably long silence fell between them as they looked out over the city. "So…" Neirah started out of the blue. "How's it feel to be a Fairy?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Neh…" He grunted with a shrug._

 _._

 _"_ _That Levy girl's kinda cute…"_

 _._

 _"_ _You noticed that too, huh?"_

.

* * *

.

Gajeel dropped his gaze to where a young Neirah once sat in his lap begging him to befriend a man that he couldn't stand, that couldn't stand him. 'He's yer problem, kid.' He thought bleakly.

 _._

* * *

 _._

Laxus didn't let the slice of cool mountain air detour him that morning as he approached the peak of the mountain, strengthened with his determination. 'I know you're out here somewhere...' He finally crossed the threshold between forest and mountain, heading towards the summit and embracing the utmost certainty that he had found where Neirah had stood the night before.

.

* * *

.

"Hey Gajeel, didn't Laxus say that he thought Shads was somewhere in the mountains?" Natsu threw his arms back behind his head as he wandered along the path nearby. "So… why is it that we're going deeper into the woods?"

.

"I was wondering something very similar," Carla admitted, casting a sharp peripheral gaze his way.

.

"Well, that's Laxus' opinion." Gajeel rumbled lowly, casually dismissing the other's concern.

.

"That's enough!" Carla scolded, stopping their entire party in their tracks with her outburst. She threw her hands to her side and fluttered towards where their mighty leader had halted his advance.

.

"Gee, what's wrong Carla?" Happy murmured in concern.

.

"He is!" She demanded, thrusting her finger towards Gajeel's nose in accusation. "I don't like that we're risking our lives out here for this girl but you, who claims to care the most, are taking us deliberately out of our way!"

.

Lily leapt ahead in Gajeel's defence, trying to calm the angry Exceed spouting accusations in front of them. "Come on Carla, I'm sure it's not what it looks like." He reasoned softly.

.

"Then what is it?!" She demanded angrily. "We've been walking for hours in the complete opposite direction of our quarry. Tell me, just how do you justify this!?" Before Lily could speak, Gajeel was interrupting them.

.

"Good, we're here..." He stated bleakly, ignoring Carla's ranting to push forwards. Natsu, Wendy and the others were dumbfounded when they turned their heads to see the tattered remnants of the Marionette guild flag draped over trees that had been razed to the ground.

.

"No way! But this is the dark guild Marionette!" Wendy cried out in panic.

.

"Whoa! What the heck happened to it!?" Natsu demanded running out into the rubble behind Gajeel.

.

"It looks like somebody has destroyed it," Lily observed cautiously, taking flight through the area.

.

"Well, that is obvious! A better question is; why have you brought us back here?!" Carla demanded, continuing to hover near Gajeel. "It is clear that Neirah is no longer here! I can't get over how daft this group is! This is unbelievable!"

.

"I ain't lookin' for Shadow," Gajeel grumbled insulted, forcing the others still as a result of their shock. "And if you don't stop runnin' your mouth, I'm gonna bury you here too." Carla flinched and strategically retreated back by Wendy and Natsu with a soft snort of derision.

.

"What do you mean you aren't looking for Shads!?" Natsu demanded. "That's the whole reason we came out here!"

.

"Look, don't worry about her," Gajeel assured him sternly.

.

"How can you say that?!" Happy demanded in rage.

.

"Yea! I thought she was like a little sister to you!" Wendy wailed.

.

"She is..." He admitted quietly. "And she means everythin' to me." Lily watched Gajeel flex his fist at his side with restraint and suddenly it was all too clear.

.

"Hm… I understand..." Lily murmured softly, a small smile curling his lips. "So that's why you let Laxus leave."

.

"Yea? Well, could you fill the rest of us in!?" Natsu bellowed irately.

.

Lily smiled and folded his arms over his chest. "I must say, that was a noble and mature decision." He closed his eyes and nodded his head in approval. "How delightfully unexpected."

.

"Whatever, just shut up cat," Gajeel growled bitterly, striding through the remnants of their enemy's guild.

.

"Somebody please tell me what's going on!" Natsu wailed.

.

"Aye!"

.

Pantherlily turned to face their party as they lingered in anticipation of an explanation behind the anxious iron dragon. "I think this might just be Gajeel's way of coming to terms with Laxus." Lily continued.

.

"Oh, I certainly find that hard to believe." Carla huffed out irately.

.

"Think about it, Carla. Laxus got a lead on Neirah's location last night, shortly after Gajeel found out about it, he changed his mind out of nowhere and decided to set up camp knowing full well that Laxus wouldn't sit still when he had an idea of where Neirah was. He then proceeded to let Laxus get out of our sights to continue his search. On top of that, he led us in the opposite direction to buy Laxus time to find her." A chorus of startled gasps met their group.

.

"Awe, that's so sweet." Wendy mewled softly, holding her fingers to her flushing cheeks. "He's giving them time to be alone."

.

"Yea she loooves him." Happy added.

.

"Would you all knock it off!?" Gajeel growled bitterly. "Look it ain't nothin' like that! I couldn't care less about what happens to that arrogant creep." His gaze narrowed vehemently on the remains of Marionette. "All I care about is trackin' down Karua and tearin' him apart." Pantherlily watched Gajeel advance despite denying the truth. A pleasantly warm smile found his expression at the thought.

.

'Well isn't that something... I guess he doesn't quite hate him after all.' Pantherlily turned to look up towards the mountain peaks. 'However, I doubt this meeting is going to go smoothly after all that's happened. Good luck Laxus.'

.

* * *

.

Laxus was cautious as he trekked across the damp mountainside, searching desperately for a sign that he wasn't wrong. 'Last night, I'm almost certain she tapped into my lightning magic.' He looked down into the palm of his hand, lost in thought. "It's strange to think that someone else is using my magic, but that's the only way I can justify that crazy feeling I got." He closed his fingers down on his palm as he turned to look out over the mountainside.

.

His eyes widened and his breath shortened as he came to view the destruction that was Neirah's rage the night before. The crater split into the mountainside was vast and cavernous, making him tremble at the sight of it. "N-no way!" He gasped out in alarm. "That little runt did this with my magic?!" He clenched his teeth, his mind racing. 'Maybe Gajeel was right... maybe that freak really is still in control. I couldn't imagine Neirah just causing this kind of damage for no reason...' The wind kept howling over the plain when he turned his wide gaze ever so slightly to one side, laying his eyes on the shadow that was lurking in his peripherals. For a long, silent moment, he just stared at her trembling figure as it huddled beneath the tattered remains of her blanket. His lips parted breathlessly and his relief spilt over as he stared back at the woman they were sent to find. "I found you..."

.

Neirah's tanned face was pale and her expression shadowed by the hood of her blanket as she stared back at him, her heart aching as her mind raced. 'He came...' Tears rolled down her cheeks, shadowed by her makeshift cloak as they fell. 'What do I do now?'

.

He took a cautious step towards her, trying to mediate between the hope he had for her strengths and the warning his grandfather had given him before they left. "They told me what happened." He started to call out over the wind. "I should've been there… Neirah, I'm s-"

.

"Stay... back." His heart sank as Neirah threw her hand out from beneath the cover of her blanket to signal him to halt his advance, her voice hard and mechanical. A long moment of silence passed between them as the weight of her words hit him and his worry for her consciousness arose once more. "Please... just go home." She whispered weakly. He took a determined step forwards in challenge, an interaction between them that seemed comforting in that moment.

.

"Not without you!" He called back sternly. "Your brother and the others won't be far behind me. We came out here just to find you and bring you home."

.

"I don't... have a home..." She all but snarled bitterly from behind bared teeth.

.

"That's not true and you know it!" He demanded in frustration. "Nobody blames you for what went down wi-"

.

"Don't make this harder than it already is." Her hands trembled as they tightened in her cloak and she forced the words out through her devastation.

.

"We know what happened and it wasn't your fault! Neirah, please don't do this to me!" Neirah's eyes flew open, tears dancing alongside her as the wind took her hood from around her face. Laxus stilled for a long moment as he watched the tears scatter over the mountainside from sea blue eyes. In that moment, he knew she was in control.

.

She had nothing left.

.

He gathered his reserve and took another step forwards, hoping that the progress they made would keep her from fleeing. "Remember when you told me… that our conversation might mean somethin' someday?" He watched her sad gaze flood with anguish with his words. "Well… that day is today. I'm here to stop you from taking the path that leads you away from… from mine." He looked back at her sheepishly for a moment before diverting his attention to the ground at his feet where his shadow stretched towards her in the dull light of the sun's weak rays. "I'm not ready to lose someone who takes the time to listen, to care…" He looked down into his hand, his heart heavy as he tried to moderate the amount of affection he poured into his words. "You aren't the Shadow anymore." She flinched and her heart stopped, her body trembling with the power of his quiet words. "You're the light."

.

"Laxus..." She whimpered softly.

.

"I know... that you're scared. But before anything else, I need you to know that… I'm sorry." He dropped his head and stared down at his shaking fist with a bitter curse. "I had no idea what was happening! It hurt so bad just thinking that none of us meant anything to you... that I didn't mean anything to you..." After a long moment of silence, his thoughts carried him to the place he tried to avoid most since his return. 'So this is how it feels… when someone forgets you…' He sealed his eyes tight with a bitter scoff. "Idiot…" He rumbled darkly. "I didn't mean to be such a jerk, and it'd kill me if you left before I could make it up to y-" His gaze flashed cold as it widened with the bleak sight meeting his eyes. Before him stood nothing but cold grey mountaintops glistening with traces of the storm that had passed the night before.

.

Neirah had vanished.

.

"Neirah?" He quickly turned his head to see if she had started running. "Neirah!?" He called out desperately in repetition. He dropped slowly to his knees as another cold wind blew, his expression void. 'I-I don't get it… What is she runnin' from?' He lifted his disdainful gaze and let it observe the mountains once more to ascertain that she was really gone. "No... It... wasn't enough." He drove his fist into granite and stared into the rocks beneath his wide-eyed, trembling gaze. "Why wasn't it enough!?"

.

Neirah slowly faded back into view behind him, clinging to the mountainside for stability as she watched him with an appreciative smile on her features, her tears still spilling over her cheeks. 'You came...' She took a few slow steps from out of her cover, trying hard to gather the presence of confidence that was fleeting as of late. 'Of all people... you came... for me...' She collapsed to her knees with her exhaustion when she finally reached him, her expression warming ever so slightly. With a gentle squeak, she pressed up against him, hiding her dainty figure in the shadow he cast along the rocks beneath them. 'No... This is where I belong…'

.

Laxus stilled, his wide gaze staring up at the dark clouds overhead as Neirah slipped her arms around him from where she had knelt on the ground behind. "Laxus..." She squeaked gently, her voice raspy from rivers of tears cried for days on end. "I don't know what to do... I'm afraid." Although he expected her to be confused, he never thought that she would openly admit it, to him least of all. He remained silent for a long moment, not really sure what to say to comfort her.

.

"They have some information for you back at the guild." He stumbled out uncertainly. "We're gonna get you through this." He slowly turned to face her, his expression warm and concerned. "I promise you we'll get through t-" His gaze flashed in panic as her unresponsive weight remained braced against him. "Neirah?!" He took her up in his arms and rested the back of his hand against her flushed face. "Damn, you're burning up..." He looked out over the barren landscape for any sign of the other slayers. "Ok guys, I could really use some help right about now."

.

* * *

.

"Alright, now that the cat's out of the bag, would you mind telling us why we're here?" Carla demanded shortly. Gajeel turned and looked out over the landscape, searching the remnants of a once great fortress of a guild. He watched the torn crimson Marionette flag buckle and sway in the skeletons of the trees.

.

"Doesn't it seem strange?" He started slowly.

.

"It all seems strange if you ask me!" Carla snapped back irately.

.

"Carla..." Wendy whined, watching sadly as Carla turned her nose up into the air she floated in with a defiant scoff.

.

"Actually now that you mention it, he has a point," Lily observed, landing to rest his chin in his paw. "The guild has been totally destroyed, but there aren't any of the members to be seen. It was a monstrous guild, there must have been someone here at the time of its destruction." Lily's expression faded grimly as he watched the cold wind rustle the dust and debris at their feet. "But if that's true… than whatever power did this didn't leave a single trace behind… How terrifying."

.

"I'd stake my life on its destruction bein' at the hands of the little infinity brat." Gajeel mentioned softly before starting through the debris.

.

"Wait so you're saying Shadow did all this?!" Uncertainty rose in Natsu's voice as he followed Gajeel towards blood stained earth that lay beneath the shattered lacrima crystal Neirah had been contained in. "Look, I know Shads is tough and all, but come on!"

.

"Actually, now that you mention it, could that be the sound we heard back at the guild?" Wendy braced her fingers beneath her chin and nibbled on her thumb in thought. "It sounded like a dragon, but could it have been the sound of Neirah's new powers when she cast this spell?"

.

"Well there's no mistaking that she was here; this whole place is covered in her scent," Natsu added constructively. He watched as Gajeel knelt next to the bloody earth, raking his fingers through it, Lily close to his side.

.

'I don't understand… This scent is so familiar…' Lily's gaze narrowed over the war-torn land solemnly. 'Why can't I remember…?' He turned back to where his party was discussing the events that had befallen the tragedy-stricken guild. "If that's the case, I doubt she used much discretion when releasing this much force." Lily took a better look at the blood at the base of the lacrima. "There were bound to be casualties."

.

Gajeel's gaze narrowed furiously as he crushed a piece of the crystal in his palm. "Yea so where are they now?" He demanded impatiently.

.

"Ah! Natsu, what is that!?" Happy screeched in alarm.

.

Natsu drew in a hard breath before turning to where Happy had pointed, only to be offered a terrifying sight. "No way! It's that Puppet Master guy!"

.

Wendy screeched at the top of her lungs and recoiled as the remains of the devastated man's figure crawled towards them, eyes wide as his life escaped him.

.

"The dragon, the dragon has awakened!" He shouted in a trembling voice, clawing his desecrated body belly-first through the bloody dirt.

.

"My god he's been melted!" Lily exclaimed, taking a step away from him.

.

"Look away, child!" Carla demanded as she scooped Wendy up and fluttered away with her. Gajeel tipped his chin up, his gaze downcast as he glowered at the heap of disfigured flesh that clawed at his ankles.

.

"It's awake!"

.

"Yea we know! You were the wake-up call." The Puppet Master cried out when Gajeel kicked his hand away to drive his heel into his spine. "And she happens to be my kid sister so I'd skip the theatrics and tell me why?!"

.

"He didn't say!" He wailed, cringing in unimaginable pain. "Something about my son and needing a weapon, please! You have to stop the dragon before it kills again!"

.

"Poison...? This guy was melted and burned..." Natsu murmured quietly. "She used us..."

.

"She has a name!" Gajeel roared, slamming his foot back down into the old guild master's back.

.

"Wait a minute, who is 'he'?!" Lily interrupted. "You speak as if you weren't the one who awoke her!"

.

Gajeel's eyes widened in realisation. 'Wait then that means...'

.

"You must... stop him... before it's too late!" Gajeel bent down and grabbed a hold of what remained of the man's shirt, raising him to his feet. "The dragon cannot be contained!"

.

"Tell me where he is!" He raged, shaking the man in demand. 'No… come on… Tell me I ain't right!'

.

"He's gone." Lily murmured softly, watching Gajeel drop the deceased remnants of the Marionette guild master. "It's funny, all this time he was known only as the Puppet Master… When it turns out he was the puppet all along."

.

"Wait, what's going on?" Natsu questioned in alarm.

.

"Are you saying that this guy wasn't the bad guy we were after?!" Lily turned to a panicked Happy and nodded.

.

"Manipulation magic only works on an individual if they are unaware of its presence. Once the victim is aware of it, it loses its effectiveness." Pantherlily explained slowly.

.

"So what!? What does that have to do with-" Natsu was interrupted by Lily when he continued.

.

"That's how he was able to control Neirah despite her being aware it was happening."

.

"Wait, if Laxus claims she knew that the guild master was in her head, how were the spells effective?" Natsu added worrisomely.

.

"Because the Puppet Master wasn't the one casting them!" The three remaining turned to face a furious Gajeel as he trembled in rage above the man's body.

.

"A third party casting…" Lily offered softly.

.

"So you're saying this guy was just a tool of the real guild master?!" Natsu braced his stance and shot a horrified gaze towards Gajeel. "That means whoever it is, is still out there after Shads!"

.

"But who could it be?!" Happy whined pitifully.

.

Gajeel flexed his fist tightly with a furious growl. 'Karua…'

.

* * *

.

Kairyn watched the mountain's carefully as an unconscious Neirah lay under the watch of the only force capable of diverting his intentions. 'I should have moved more quickly.' He thought grimly to himself. 'This will surely hinder my advance.' He observed as Laxus finished wrapping Neirah's sore hands, his brow furrowing curiously. 'Interesting… Her body hasn't adjusted to all of her new abilities. Blind rage forced her to use powers that she wasn't ready to control. What is even more surprising is that she survived it. The mark you left on her was powerful indeed. I see why now.' His gaze shifted to the man at her side, staring distantly at the mountain as if he were waiting to be joined. His brow creased venomously as he glared at the man with a deeply seeded hatred. 'But I find something hard to believe… You gave your life for _this_ man?'

.

* * *

 _._

 _The dragon could barely raise his head from the pool of blood that spread over the mountain with the severity of his wounds. "Kairyn…" He wheezed out breathlessly, the glittering of tears in his wings catching the day's last light as they trembled. "I am glad that I could see you one last time before departing this world."_

 _._

 _"_ _My lord, I refuse to let you utter such nonsense." Kairyn rumbled sternly, his stance broad before the beast. "Let me assist you." His brow furrowed darkly in concern when the dragon slowly shook its head, laying it upon the earth once more._

 _._

 _"_ _My time is up, my boy," Ryverika assured him humbly, fighting out his final breaths. "I was stagnant for far too long and didn't stand a chance against the dark one."_

 _._

 _"_ _I don't understand why you interfered at all." Kairyn murmured in dismay, despite his lack of emotional display. "After all of this time, why would you battle for a mere island's safety? It seems hardly worth engaging in a battle between end-bringers."_

 _._

 _"_ _I need you to listen carefully, Kairyn," Ryverika growled lightly, casually dismissing his patronising. "No doubt wandering near a city called Magnolia is the young girl I mentioned when last we spoke. My will should guide her at least that far."_

 _._

 _"_ _The Shadow?" Kairyn ascertained._

 _._

 _"_ _Yes." The dragon breathed out weakly, his mighty voice fading with his strength. "I have failed her. My precious daughter lost someone dear to her on that island, whether she has realised it yet or not, and it was far too soon for their paths to lead them from each other."_

 _._

 _"_ _She was close to one of those lost?"_

 _._

 _"_ _I'm afraid so…" He muttered solemnly. "The Prince of Fairy Tail made an unexpected appearance on the island. If it weren't for his sake, I would have simply mourned for the meaningless loss. I only pray that the restless spirits that I have sensed nearby can find a way to preserve hope for my daughter before she is lost."_

 _._

 _Kairyn's expression darkened as he bitterly burned their conversation into memory, a hate for the man responsible for Ryverika's death seeping into his vengeful soul. "What was this boy to her that he was worth the life of the Infinity Dragon?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Everything." The dragon whispered hoarsely. "I have failed and now the years I spent silently observing from a distance are wasted. Karua will soon get his wish. My daughter faces far too grim a future to be without his guidance… without his light, she will be lost."_

 _._

 _Kairyn's fist flexed bitterly at his side as he hissed his words through ground teeth. "If he is that important I could-"_

 _._

 _"_ _No… I have a different task for you Kairyn. It is my last act of defiance against Karua's evil will. And Neirah's last hope…" Kairyn's breath caught helplessly as the fading of the golden dragon commenced, leaving the beast to disappear into the sun's final glow over the horizon. "But if the winds should change and shift the tide around us until time lost is regained, the prince is to be protected… at all… costs…"_

.

* * *

.

"This is the boy you spoke of…? Your prince?" He rumbled diminutively, his gaze darkening humbly in submission despite his need to defy the dragon's will. "Then he holds the power to control the girl's fate?" He listened to the wind for a long moment as he silently observed. "So be it…"

.

* * *

.

Neirah woke a couple of hours later on the mountainside with her wounds dressed and the pain of her struggle fading. She whimpered softly as she managed to force herself upright in order to observe her surroundings. "H-hello?" She called out to the misty mountainside. "Is anyone t-"

.

"You're awake?" She turned her head painfully quick to see Laxus sitting to the other side of her, a relieved smile on his face. "That was one heck of a nap."

.

'I thought it was a dream... but he actually did come for me.' Realising that her cheeks were likely flushed at the thought, she diverted her appreciative smile. 'Oh, come on, why would I be dreaming about _Laxus_?' She rubbed her bare arms, happy to be covered, if only in bandages and the rags that had survived of her clothing. "I'm so glad you're all alright." She whispered gratefully. "When I thought you were all dead, I… couldn't contain it..."

.

"Dead? Tsk, no way. It would take more than a couple of dark guild assassins to take down Fairy Tail."

.

She tipped her smile to him affectionately. "I realise that now. Forgive me for ever doubting you." A brief and silent moment passed between them before she continued. "I'm sorry for hurting your friends..." She started, a waver in her voice with the well of pain inside her. "I knew he was there, I could hear his voice... but I couldn't stop." She clenched her little fists in her lap. "I wasn't strong enough." She gasped, a couple of stray tears falling from her eyes as they widened the moment he tipped her forehead against his.

.

"Hey, don't worry about it." He assured her gently. "What kind of hypocrite would I be if I denied you forgiveness when I crossed the same bridge?" She offered him a wobbly smile before closing her eyes and letting the tears dry from them. "They even managed to salvage what was left of that loser you call a brother. I'm sure he'll be here soon so I'm only gonna say this once." He backed away with a small smile. "I'm kinda glad our paths keep crossing."

.

"So am I..." She mewled weakly, appreciative tears in her eyes.

.

Laxus turned away from her with a heavy breath. "So, uh, I don't suppose you know what happened to that creep, huh?" He started to divert the subject casually. "I'd really like to get my hands on him for all he's done." With the soft whimper that cracked Neirah's steady breaths, he turned to face her darkened expression as her tears started to fall again. "What's wr-"

.

"I-I killed him..." His expression paled as she spoke the words in a small, trembling voice. "Like I said... I couldn't contain it." She tipped her gaze to her bandaged fingertips as they trembled. "I didn't even know what I was doing until the poison entered his body... and the flames... they... I killed… I've killed another human being…"

.

"Wait, you-?"

.

"It must have something to do with the ritual he performed with your blood. I can hear things... I can somehow use my magic to cast your spells." She shook her head softly. "I… remember… I saw memories of my time with Ryverika flash through my head that night but it's all such a blur… I can't…"

.

"So, I was right... that lightning last night..."

.

She nodded softly. "I'm sorry..."

.

"Why? I just got this strange feeling. It's actually how I found you."

.

She looked up at him hopefully. "It didn't hurt you?"

.

He looked down at his hands and then back to her. "I don't think so." He flinched when she sighed heavily in relief.

.

"I'm so glad." She expelled gratefully. "I was so worried when I asked Wendy for her help that I was stealing her power from her or something."

.

Laxus flinched in realisation. "That's right. The old man was just explaining everything to us when we noticed her acting kinda weird. She said she could hear you in her head or somethin'."

.

Neirah nodded slowly. "When I destroyed the guild, I seriously wounded my father... I needed her help to heal him." Laxus' eyes widened uncertainly. "But when I used her powers, it was really hard on me."

.

"Wait but wasn't he-"

.

"It's ok. He was the reason I fell under Marionette's spell… I just wanted to save him from the Puppet Master's control…" She assured him gently, a warm smile on her lips. "When the Puppet Master was defeated, his spell on my dad lifted."

.

"I get it..." He relaxed next to her and looked back off into the haze. "Then I guess everything worked out in the end. Now if only all deadbeat dads were under a breakable spell…" Another long moment of silence passed between them before Neirah finally spoke.

.

"Hey, Sparky?"

.

"Hm...?"

.

"I'm sorry I've been so cold to you." She dropped her head with a bashful smile before she continued. "I guess I was only acting like a brat because I actually kinda-"

.

"Ah, there you are!" Both Laxus and Neirah were thrown onto high alert with the sound of a familiar voice cutting through the peaceful hum of the mountain's song.

.

"Isn't that?"

.

"Father, is that you?" She smiled happily when her father stepped out of the haze towards them. "Daddy! You're ok!"

.

"I sure am, and it's all thanks to you." He hummed affectionately. Laxus flinched when Neirah climbed unsteadily to her feet and started towards Karua.

.

"Neirah wait! Your injurie-" He sighed when she ignored him to wrap her arms around her father.

.

"I'm so glad. I'll have to thank Wendy for helping me to heal your injuries." She backed away from him and smiled. "I didn't really understand what was happening before, but Laxus filled me in a bit."

.

"Oh yes, your knight in shining armour. Ivan's boy... right?" Laxus narrowed his gaze suspiciously with the exalted tone of Karua's voice ringing in his ears. The man knew a little too much about him for his liking.

.

Neirah blushed and turned away with a guilty knot in her face. "Daddy, it's so not like that. He just happened to be the first one to get here…"

.

Karua took a step forwards as Laxus remained still, facing him down with an eerie sense of foreboding. It didn't make sense. Karua smelled nothing like his daughter… "Oh? But isn't it...?" He flinched when Karua offered him his hand. "I am in your debt for protecting my daughter." Laxus drew his hand back and contemplated the truce that Karua was offering, Neirah safely in his peripherals.

.

"Don't mention i-" Catching the dark glint in Karua's eye, his breath caught and his guard automatically rose. "Neirah, look out!"

.

Neirah cried out in terror when a familiar flame lit up the mountainside before them. "Father, what are you doing?!" She demanded, pushing past where Laxus had taken guard in front of her.

.

"I intend or repaying my debt in full." Karua hissed spitefully. "You and love's little games caused me a mighty irritating headache, boy! You almost cost me my prize!" The two were on the move and dodging another powerful blast of dark flame as it plummeted towards them.

.

"Who're you calling boy, pops?" Laxus spat out venomously, lightning crawling over his skin as his expression darkened.

.

"What are you talking about!?" Neirah cried in terror. "I defeated the guild master! You should be free of his spell!" She cried.

.

"Ah yes, the Puppet Master. A suitable name for a deceptive pon, wouldn't you agree?"

.

"Are you trying to tell me that it was you this whole time?!" Laxus shouted back in disbelief. Neirah stared wide-eyed in horror, lips trembling as her jaw gaped. She watched Karua lean back and stretch his arms out in triumph, one eye narrowing as the other widened in crazed condescension.

.

"Surpriiise!" He lurched forwards again. "I must say, I commend you on severing my control over the girl. That was no easy feat. But unfortunately, your meddling ends here! There is a war coming, and I intend on holding the ultimate weapon on the battlefield." Karua craned his head unnaturally to one side. "And if Makarov's grandson is the only thing standing between me and my prize, I've already won!"

.

* * *

.

"Wendy come on! Think!" Natsu demanded, panic stricken with grief as he watched the little girl wrack her brain in thought as frightful tears rolled over her cheeks. "Who did you help Shads heal?!"

.

"Please, Wendy, it's important!" Happy chimed in dismally.

.

"Don't push her!" Carla demanded angrily. "She's been through a traumatic experience!"

.

"I-I'm sorry I don't know... all I heard was-" She gasped as the moment came flooding back to her and sealed eyes flew open. "Wait! She called him Daddy! I'm almost sure she was trying to help her fath-" Wendy recoiled with a shriek when she raised her gaze to the most blood-chilling look of fury she had ever seen anyone cast radiating from their in-house iron dragon slayer.

.

"That means that she actually saved our enemy thinking he was innocent." Lily dropped his head in grief. "We've been played. He is still manipulating her memories." The group startled when feet took off running as fast as they could through the dead and dying forest towards the mountains.

.

"Natsu?" Happy whimpered softly. "Natsu, wait up!" Natsu powered forward with everything he had, Happy fluttering after him quickly. "Natsu!"

.

His teeth bore fiercely as his mind raced with the knowledge of Karua's betrayal. 'Karua...' Natsu panted heavily as he stormed through the forest with venom in his veins. 'You put my friends in danger... betrayed your daughter's trust... disrespected the names of dragons everywhere... and took the life of one of my dragon cousins…' He paused a mid-sprint in order to roar his challenge to the forest. "Come out here and face me! Karua!"

.

Gajeel watched as Wendy and Carla took off quickly after Natsu. "That boy and his Tomcat are far too reckless for my liking." He heard Carla quip in irritation.

.

"Idiots…" Gajeel rumbled darkly.

.

"Their ambition and devotion to their friends is commendable." He cast his gaze down towards Pantherlily who had his paws folded over his chest.

.

Gajeel froze picking up another familiar scent, differing from the one surrounding the lacrima crystal. He threw his head to the side as they were joined by another living presence. "Gajeel? What is it?" Lily turned on his heels to observe a small woman gently closing the eyelids of the deceased Puppet Master uttering soft prayers. "Wait! Who is she!?" Lily demanded. Gajeel's eyes widened as the older woman offered him a reassuring smile.

.

"No way…" He gasped out uncertainly.

.

* * *

.

 _"You say she's not actually sick?" The kind woman shrugged with a soft smile._

 _._

 _"Just lonely so far as I can tell."_

 _._

 _Gajeel rolled his eyes and snatched Neirah's sketchbook back from their host. The woman's smile broadened as he headed for the door and she held her hand to her chest._

 _._

 _"Hey! What did I just say!?" A tiny Neirah wailed bitterly. The woman's eyes widened as he picked the frail child up by her hood and set her to one side of the door in order to pass her by. "Wait! You heard me!"_

 _._

 _The woman's expression grew concerned as she watched Gajeel pass the rowdy child who, as a result, threw herself to the ground and grabbed a hold of his leg._

 _._

 _"Damn it, Screwball! I'm talking to you!"_

 _._

 _The woman burst out laughing as Gajeel dragged the girl alongside him without another word of protest._

 _._

 _"You're in good hands, child." She smiled warmly and watched them disappear over the hill her house sat beneath, bickering tirelessly like brothers and sisters tend to do. "Don't let go..."_

.

* * *

.

He startled from his thoughts when their gazes met. 'But she looks so much older…' He thought in confusion. He watched her lay an envelope against the ground with a gentle nod as she turned and started away. 'Even for Tenrou time…'

.

"Gajeel? Is everything ok?" Lily watched suspiciously as Gajeel approached the Puppet Master's corpse to retrieve the envelope that he discovered was addressed to Neirah. He tipped his gaze back out over the chilly grounds where the woman clutched her shawl and staggered away.

.

"Yea… She ain't a threat…" Gajeel rumbled lowly, casting his gaze out to where the woman waddled away huddled tightly for warmth. His grip tightened on the envelope in determination as he whirled around and took off after Natsu and the others. "Come on… We gotta catch up to those morons before they get themselves killed or somthin'." Lily nodded sharply and took flight alongside his friend. 'Damn it, Laxus. Don't make me regret this. If there's even one scratch on that kid when I get there I'll kill you myself.'

.

The old woman smiled warmly and clung to her fond memories of their first meeting, silently observing her heroes. "I'm glad she didn't let go of you…" She whispered delicately to the wind.


	10. Unified the Colour of Infinity!

**Unified; the Colour of Infinity!**

.

.

Neirah's chest ached with the weight of her father's betrayal and although she was conscious of fire battling lightning, she remained immobile on the mountainside; her gaze wide and trembling. "No... You can't..." She mumbled half-coherently. "All those memories..."

.

"Neirah, snap out of it!" The moment of encouragement Laxus had offered her was wasted and provided Karua with the opportunity he needed to strike.

.

"Foolish child!" Karua roared with a maniacal laugh, watching the youth careen into the mountainside nearby. "You didn't have your first conscious thought until that dragon meddled with my plans! Everything up until then was planted within you by me! And if it weren't for him, you still wouldn't have a conscious thought to this day!"

.

Laxus ground his teeth furiously as he drove his heels into the mountainside and powered off of it towards the enemy within a tremendous dispelling of lightning magic. "You BASTARD!" Laxus exclaimed, drawing his fist back behind him as he threw himself back into combat. "Do you have any idea what that kind of confusion could do to a kid?!" Dark flame and lightning collided head on as Karua mocked his best efforts, matching the boy's strength punch for punch.

.

"I didn't need a child, I needed a machine." Karua rumbled darkly, denying the knee that aimed for his rib cage. The pained cries of her friend were distant to her vacant mind as her father dismissed Laxus' advance once more. "A mindless drone that I could forge into the most destructive weapon this world has ever seen!"

.

"She's your daughter!" Laxus roared, his fist sending Karua into the air in a cloud of rocky debris and sparks. Karua caught his footing on a nearby peak and found his centre of gravity.

.

"She was an experiment! Marked by the lines on her face!" He ascertained, dark fireballs raining on the mountainside in retaliation as he charged back towards the earth. "I put them there! I alone am responsible for the power she holds!" Neirah's body started to tremble as she listened to the hollow echo of her father's banter, light engulfing the battlefield with the roar of the lightning dragon that brought Karua down in a battle damaged heap.

.

'Lies. Destruction. Machine... Weapon.' Neirah's mind faded in and out as she desperately sought even the dimmest light of truth. Karua had been the one behind her confusion since the start and for a long and vacant moment, she didn't know what was real.

.

* * *

.

 _"Doctor? You might want to take a look at this..." A kind man robed in white crossed the little farm house as a few others carried off a deceased young woman beneath a white sheet. When he entered the next room, he laid eyes on a young girl with big, empty silver eyes._

 _._

 _"A child?" The doctor murmured softly._

 _._

 _"We suspect it was the woman's daughter..." The silent girl offered them a swift blink but remained relatively unresponsive._

 _._

 _"Are you taking mommy to see daddy?" She asked in a small, even tone. The doctor shuttered and whispered words to his assistant before kneeling next to the child._

 _._

 _"Where is your daddy now?"_

 _._

 _"He died." She mewled gently, tipping her glossy gaze to his. "Just like mommy."_

.

* * *

.

'They took me away... sat me in that cold white room... Questioned me... Their voices trembling with fear...'

.

* * *

.

 _The young girl watched as the woman's face fell lifelessly against the table. She turned to watch the door fly open as she swung her little legs back and forth from the tall chair she sat in._

 _"What happened?!" The doctors would cry uncertainly._

 _"She died." The girl mewled lifelessly._

.

* * *

.

'Bound and sedated... they continued to fall around me... their shadows merging with their bodies to end their lives.'

.

* * *

 _._

 _"What is happening?! How is she still-"_

 _._

 _"He died too..." The doctors trembled as they watched the straight jacket unbind itself from the girl's malnourished body. "It's time for me to go now." She cooed gently, fading into the shadows. "Goodbye!" The little girl walked down the streets casually towards town as sirens blared in the asylum._

.

* * *

.

Neirah's hands trembled at her sides as her downcast gaze rained tears upon the earth. 'I was ostracised… Gajeel fought with everything he had to get me help… door after door slamming in rejection…'

.

* * *

.

 _He threw his fist into another door as it was slammed in his face, his teeth ground with the force he used to restrain his infuriated curses. "N'aw come on! Can't you see the kid's sick!?"_

 _._

 _"Go away!"_

 _._

 _He backed away from the door and glared as if he could see right through it, contemplating breaking it down to offer his opinion directly to their ungracious host. Gajeel turned around and kicked out into the air behind him with an impatient huff. "Damn idiots," he tipped his head to the rain and silently cursed it as his gaze narrowed vehemently on the lightning streaking the sky. "All this rain ain't helping matters. Man do I hate the rain..."_

 _._

 _"I'm sorry..." He turned suddenly to face the weak and trembling little figure that joined his side. "This is all my fault." He watched tears slip down a tiny Neirah's face on her approach. "They won't help us... and it's all my fault." Her helpless squeak was quickly interrupted when she stumbled weakly forwards onto the muddy ground._

 _._

 _"Hey, come on kid; don't be like that. This ain't your fault. These jerks don't have a clue." He knelt in front of her and wrapped her up in a reassuring embrace. "The next ones for sure-" He silenced when Neirah gently shook her head against his shoulder._

 _._

 _"No... They won't help either... They're too close."_

 _._

 _"Too close to what?" He encouraged curiously._

 _._

 _"My old home..."_

 _._

 _Gajeel backed away and looked down into the girl's troubled features as the lightning illuminated them. "Alright, you got my attention."_

 _._

 _"I didn't mean to... I didn't really want to hurt anyone... I just..." His expression darkened in concern as the young girl faded from consciousness against him, her frail figure falling limp in his arms._

 _._

 _"Damn it Shadow, don't do this to me." He manoeuvred her onto his back where she found the strength to cling to him as he carried her. "Hang in there kid... Somebody's bound to take you in." After rising, he caught a strange sight in his peripherals. He turned his head to observe the windows of the house he had just tried to seek help from. A man stood holding his wife, watching as Neirah struggled against him with her sickness. He offered them a dark expression on passing but didn't push the matter any further. 'What could the kid've possibly done to make all these people fear her?_ '

.

* * *

.

"It was you..." Neirah rumbled vehemently, distracting Karua from where he was raising Laxus by his throat. Karua's expression darkened as a golden aura materialised around her downcast features.

.

* * *

.

 _A mighty beast rested on the misty mountainside, watching the small child steadily approaching. "Of all of your foul attempts, Karua, this has to be the most despicable." The dragon rumbled softly to himself. "Humans are not meant to possess such a power. You serve as an excellent reminder as to why." He lowered his nose to the ground and watched the sickly child approach, silently dispelling the magic that poisoned her mind. 'But as I've silently observed... such children have been taken under the wings of some of my most powerful brethren. Even Igneel found his time occupied by a young wizard once. Is the world really so damaged that these silent guardians must be recruited in such a green state of mind?' He watched the child's steps slow as colour found her eyes, her glittering sapphire gaze seeing the world clearly for the first time since her birth. 'But I cannot simply let her wander with no knowledge of the world.' He thought humbly, reluctant to fall to the same influence that had weakened the hearts of other great and majestic beasts. 'No… I have already decided.'_

 _._

 _Neirah tipped her gaze back and stared up into the face of a mighty black beast, whose nostrils disturbed the fog around them with his breath as he lowered his head towards her. "Hello." She offered weakly, her eyes widening as she heard her own voice for the first time._

 _._

 _'She knows nothing of this world. Not even fear. She is a blank canvas.' She watched his ebony claws sink into the earth and support him as he rose, but the child didn't fret over such a disturbance. "Greetings, my child." He rumbled regally, a twist in his head dispelling the fog around them entirely. 'Show me your colours, and paint the world with the hope I see inside.' He unfurled his mighty golden wings and welcomed the little girl into his home. "And welcome to infinity."_

.

* * *

.

"You led me to him... the rainbow dragon... and then took him away from me!" Neirah screeched in devastation; recalling the truth of the memories he had recently manipulated. Memory after memory, they came.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Look Ryverika! I drew you!" A youthful Neirah bashfully displayed her picture to the dragon with a delighted blush in her cheeks. "I worked a long time on it so that it would be perfect!" She withdrew the picture with a crooked twist in her analytical expression for a moment before pulling it back out of his view decisively. "Wait… no… On second thought, I'll just add some more colour here… and here…"_

 _._

 _"_ _My child, it was beautiful the way it was." The dragon praised her supportively. "Try to have confidence in your creations."_

 _._

 _"_ _I can't." She rumbled in determination. "You just look like a big shadow."_

 _._

 _"_ _There is nothing wrong with that," he crooned affectionately. "Every shadow exists because somewhere, there is light." Neirah caught her breath softly as she turned and looked back up into the mighty creature's gentle expression. "Each shadow represents the hope that every hero needs to remind them of their strengths. Without shadows, nothing would shine."_

 _._

 _Neirah tipped her head to one side apprehensively before returning her picture to his line of vision and crawling up over his front paw. "One day I want to be a shadow…" The girl admitted warmly as she looked into her picture. "I'll be someone's hope and strength."_

 _._

 _"_ _But my dear child, you are my shadow." He praised, laying his head alongside her so that she might embrace his snout._

 _._

 _"_ _Heh heh… Excellent." She chuckled sadistically. "That way I can be all sneaky! And jump out of nowhere to give you hug!" She leapt up against him with a delighted smile and wrapped her arms around his nose, being risen from the ground in a fit of exhilarated laughter. "I'll always be there to hug you! Right there, hiding in your shadow."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

Karua threw Laxus to the ground dismissively and turned his furious gaze her way. "Don't be absurd. The rainbow dragon is simply a name given to the legend passed down to young children in ancient Austalia. The infinity dragon was simply a sacrificial means to an end." He threw his arms out to either side and proceeded to gather magical energy. "I should have known his abilities were even more than what I thought to comprehend! He severed my control and delayed the progress I had made by teaching you the ways of this world, teaching you the ways of the dragon slayer. If you had remained under my control, you could have slain him yourself and brought me that which I needed to complete my research. Instead, I had to wait years for the opportunity to dispatch him! It took me weeks after the beast disappeared to rewrite your memories! I hid them all until I could regain control; all of your abilities! But before I could erase the deeply entrenched memories you held of your precious shadow magic, I was interrupted again! You and these nuisances of Fairy Tail! I will not let a light guild hinder my plans any further!"

.

"This guy's lost it..." Laxus murmured weakly, struggling to observe Karua's progress.

.

"First I will snuff out every notion of friendship in your fragile mind by disposing of this ingrate! And that wretched iron dragon slayer you claimed as your brother will be next!" He threw his head back in deranged laughter. "WAHAHAH! Nothing can stop me!"

.

An impatient growl caught in the back of Laxus' throat as he stared down the threat before him. "You disgust me..." He rumbled venomously. "And if you think I'm letting you take Neirah away from me again, you're dead fucking wrong." Karua's laughter halted as he replaced his bitter and crazed glare, his attention falling back on the enraged lightning dragon slayer before him.

.

"Neirah, get out of here..." Laxus encouraged sternly, staggering to his feet among an unstable electrical field. "I only know half of what he's talkin' about, but I know enough to figure out that without you, he won't get what he's after." His blood ran cold when he shifted his gaze her way just in time to see the hot flash of amber in her eyes as her pupils narrowed to slits. She seethed with fury as she forced out heavy breaths through barred teeth and she raised her gaze to face her father.

.

* * *

.

"It is time…" Kairyn rumbled thoughtfully.

.

* * *

.

"I'm not going anywhere..." She seethed.

.

Karua's dark laughter cut through the stagnant air around them in triumph. "There's daddy's good girl!" He mused sadistically. "I'll just take care of your little friend and we'll get right back to work! Hellfire's final JUDGMENT!"

.

Laxus watched the dark flame approach him, but he refused to move. "Nobody makes an enemy of Fairy Tail without payin' for it..." He rumbled darkly. "And I'm not gonna let you take Neirah away from her family!" He was moments from countering the attack when the dark light of Karua's assault was broken by a dainty shadowed silhouette. "Neirah!? Get the hell out of the way!" His breath caught when the light grew near enough to reflect off of her skin, coated in dark steel scales. 'No freaking way!'

.

Neirah sank her heels into the rock as she pushed herself into Karua's blast, her gaze hot with fury as she deflected his magic so that she could see the fear in his eyes for herself. "My whole life I was sick and I didn't know why..." She snarled resentfully. "You put my friend's lives in danger... made them suffer for your twisted experiments. You used me to get close to Ryverika, and then took his life!" She screamed, glaring at him with fiery golden eyes from behind a steel guard. She lowered the tone of her voice in dark promise as she panted ragged breaths of hate, throwing her arms down beside her with the dispelling of Karua's mighty spells. "There are two things that I can guarantee you won't find here tonight, father... Forgiveness... and mercy..."

.

* * *

.

Pantherlily froze mid-flight when Gajeel stopped running in his tracks, falling behind the rest of the slayers as they climbed the mountain. He turned and levitated in wait, silently observing the paling of Gajeel's expression. "What's the matter?" He offered in concern.

.

"Way too weird..." Gajeel murmured quietly to himself. "It's almost-" His gaze widened in reminiscence.

.

* * *

.

 _"It was like everything I had belonged to someone else. I got this cheesy feeling like I was in pain but I hadn't moved. A surge of power that just came out of nowhere..."_

.

* * *

.

"It's Shadow." He assured Lily in a breathless tone. "The kid's fightin', come on! We don't got time for this!" He rushed out in determination, starting the charge towards the mountain's peak. He could see the light of fire and lightning breaking the dull, stormy sky from where they approached and his heart started to pound uncontrollably. 'Laxus... You'd better keep that kid safe till I get there…'

.

* * *

.

"S'Up Mastah?"

.

Kairyn's expression dimmed impatiently with the way the man addressed him at his back.

.

"Ya think her memories have returned?"

.

Kairyn tipped his gaze over his shoulder towards two individuals that approached, marked with the same Infinity Dragon insignia that was on his bare chest. His gaze narrowed solemnly as he watched the man approach with the ocean blue crest against his lower back, the woman at his side lingering in his shadow. Her pin-straight silver hair whispered around her elegant figure and tickled the white Infinity Dragon crest at the base of her throat between her breasts.

.

"No…" The woman whispered breathlessly from behind painted lips. "She is only using the abilities of the slayers she's familiar with." She assured the dark haired man certainly. "It will take her some time to sort through years of lost memories. This is only the beginning."

.

"Ah, so her pals at Fairy Tail?" He murmured smoothly. He ran his fingers through his deep blue locks and displayed a crooked grin. "Interestin'. She's intuitive, I'll give 'er that."

.

"Frost, Wavebreak…" Kairyn rumbled regally. "What are you doing here?"

.

Wavebreak lowered his hand from his head and adjusted his cape at his back. "We just got back from our little check up on Jo-Jo and thought we'd come by and see what you other slayers are up to." Wavebreak let a sinister little chuckle escape him as he watched the battle with Karua ensue. "Looks like yer havin' twice the fun at least."

.

"Jose was most uninformative but I have reason to suspect that Marionette's roots will be severed with Karua's defeat." Frost mused whimsically, sliding her fingers through the knee length strands of hair that weren't bound behind her head in an elegant French braid. "He was simply an informant."

.

"I still dunno why we couldn't just beat it out of him? He did help Karua get the information he needed to start this lil' fiasco, right?" Wavebreak flinched as Frost laid her fingers delicately against his arm, silver polished nails stretching long from each one.

.

"Patience my, love." She crooned affectionately. "If the Master sees fit to spare him, his usefulness has obviously expired." She assured him as softly as her caress.

.

"The balance in the magical world has shifted." Kairyn rumbled softly. "The power of the Ten Wizard Saints is becoming obsolete despite their complete unawareness. Even if he tries to interfere upon release, the damage has been done."

.

"But Master Ryv-"

.

Kairyn held his hand up to signal silence from the restless ice dragon slayer at his back.

.

"Do not use that name here, Frost." He assured her darkly. Frost bowed her head submissively and lowered her soft violet gaze, finding comfort in Wavebreak's reassuring embrace as he placed a gentle kiss on her head.

.

"So, why haven't you stepped in and kicked his sorry ass already?" Wavebreak interrupted impatiently. "He's right there? It'd take you like, what? Three seconds to put him six feet under." Kairyn's crimson gaze cut from the ebony of Wavebreak's and fell back onto the battlefield lighting up before him. There was a catch in the water dragon's voice as he continued. "Whoa wait, is that the guy?!"

.

"The Prince of Fairy Tail?" Frost uttered weakly is disbelief.

.

"It would seem so…" Kairyn rumbled impatiently. "And if he is present, Infinity Dragon will not interfere."

.

* * *

.

Neirah's arms trembled as steel scales shed from her darkening skin, the shadow magic she relied so heavily upon in her youth staining her tanned flesh.

.

Laxus took a step away from her as violet sparks leapt from her body, the strands of dark electricity staining her like cracks in damaged rock. "Alright, now take it easy..." He offered softly, seeing the bewilderment flickering in Karua's panicked expression as Neirah entered a dragon force form, of sorts. "You're stil-"

.

"Laxus." She offered softly, her voice empty and distant as she exhausted effort on releasing the fullest of her capabilities. "If something happens to me, promise me you'll look after my brother."

.

He threw his hands out in defiance with a dark shout of objection. "Don't talk like that! You can take care of that freak yourself!" Neirah flinched and turned her fierce gaze his way with the illuminating of the lightning dragon right alongside her. "Don't even try to put that shit on ME!" Neirah watched as Laxus bolted towards Karua without another word. She observed him throw Karua around for a few moments before a grateful smile was turning into a sinister leer.

.

The pads of her bare feet struck the earth pale as the little lightning shadow dragon approached where the two had matched each other in even displays of combat. She saw a dark flash in Karua's hazel eyes upon noticing her approach, but she was feeling far too hateful to worry herself over his inner turmoil. She leapt forwards swiftly and, moments later, was fading into the rock at their feet. "No!" Karua wailed in panic. "Where is she getting this power from!?"

.

"That'd be me!" Laxus threw his fist into the man's jaw with all he had, blood rolling over barred teeth and down his chin as he distracted her father's advances. The flash of lightning had the entire mountainside illuminated, and making their way over the peaks of the mountains were the other three slayers he'd departed with.

.

"There they are!" Natsu announced as they met the mountain peaks that trembled with magical force.

.

"Not that they were hard to find with all this lightning!" Happy exclaimed.

.

Karua tried to stumble away with the impact, but Neirah's dark claws were sinking deep into his ankles, forcing another startled cry from him as he remained rooted beneath Laxus' statically charged heel driving into his chest. "Neirah!" Laxus called out, reaching his hand out towards the mountainside. Karua gasped when Neirah's hand found him and he pulled her out from the shadows on the ground. "I'm gettin' real sick of listening to this guy bark!"

.

"Right!" She reiterated.

.

"Wow, they make such a great team!" Wendy crooned whimsically, her fingers silently crossed for Karua's destruction. Karua stumbled back in panic as Laxus threw Neirah's small figure into the air before his cold steel gaze dropped to Karua's.

.

"What'd ya say we shut him up?" He rumbled fiercely, watching Neirah land to the other side of Karua's panicked figure against a jutting mountainous peak.

.

"Gladly." She hissed vehemently, perching on the destroyed mountain side. "Black lightning shadow dragon's roar!"

.

"Lightning dragon's roar!"

.

Natsu threw his arms up in front of his face, Wendy's frightened whimpers echoing in his ears as they were showered with rocky debris. "Crap! Next time we're tryin' to figure out who's the strongest in Fairy Tail, remind me to throw down with Shads!"

.

Neirah kept her stance defensive as she watched the dust settle around them, her heart racing and body aching with the expulsion of power she'd used to rain down on her father. She watched her bruised skin tremble as it returned to normal, her head reeling with uncertainty as her energy ran low. She turned her gaze hopefully to Laxus, offering him an admiring smile for his efforts. He took a heavy step towards her before regaining his composure with an exasperated sigh. "You ok?"

.

"Why yes, fine. Thank you for asking." A startled chorus of gasps filled the stagnating air as Karua dispelled his dark magic barrier that sent Neirah and Laxus to the ground with pained cries of distress.

.

"No way!" Natsu wailed in disbelief. "He doesn't have a scratch on 'im!"

.

"They obliterated half a mountain range with that damn attack!" Gajeel roared in disbelief. "How the hell is that creep still standing!?"

.

"I was impressed when you survived the unlocking of your memories and even more surprised that you came through the soul absorption," Karua observed darkly. "But I'm not through with you… Not yet…"

.

"Soul absorption? Now what the heck is he talking about?" Laxus managed, flexing his fist in the dirt.

.

Karua threw his head back with a triumphant roar of laughter. "THIS is the infinite power of unity! And it will all be mine!"

.

"Not if I can help it..." Gajeel sneered lowly, charging onto the battlefield towards Karua without a second word.

.

"Tag out you two," Natsu added enthusiastically, not far behind Gajeel. "It's our turn to kick ass!"

.

Karua's breath hitched as his wide gaze cut to where the shadows of slayers past haunted him. 'No, wait… How can this be?' He panicked internally narrowly dodging a bombardment of attacks. 'If they survived, how was the ritual on the girl completed?!'

.

"Natsu, big brother..." Neirah murmured softly.

.

"Alright Carla, let's give them a hand!" Wendy demanded, carried loyally through the air by her Exceed friend with the casting of her supportive spells.

.

"Right!" Carla swiftly agreed.

.

"Wendy too...?" Neirah looked up to where Pantherlily stood before her, his giant sword in hand as his battle form stood guard.

.

"Hey Neirah, are you alright?" Happy mewled hurriedly, fluttering by Neirah's side.

.

"Yea that's fine. I'm good." Laxus grumbled impatiently from where he sat nearby.

.

"Laxus..." Lily started deeply. "Take Shadow to safety. We'll handle things from here." Lily flinched when Laxus turned his head to the side with a short scoff.

.

"Tsk, are you kidding me?" Neirah watched as he slowly rose to his feet, brushing off the dust of their previous battle. "Those losers are gonna need all the help they can get." He cast his dismissive gaze her way with a sly grin. "Besides, didn't you just see what the kid's capable of? She can look after her damn self." Neirah's silver gaze trembled as she smiled up at him affectionately, her heart warming with his companionship as he offered her his hand. Warmth always found her when her memories filled with their first meeting that obviously still eluded him, but when she took his hand, she was reminded just how strong it felt to forge the bond of her first friendship.

.

"Alright Salamander! Let's try to hit him this time!" Gajeel demanded seriously.

.

"Way ahead of ya!" Natsu assured him certainly. "Fire dragon wing attack!"

.

"Wahahhah! You want to fight fire with fire, boy!?" Karua mocked superiorly. "Then taste hell's flame!" Natsu's eyes widened and he all but drooled in anticipation as he watched the dark flame approach.

.

"Wow really?! Thanks, man!" He crooned whimsically. "I was totally starved!" Neirah's eyes widened in panic and she stumbled forwards in protest, quickly falling weak into Laxus' reinforcing embrace.

.

"Natsu, don't eat that!" She wailed in panic. She winced, too late to stop the enthusiastic fire wizard. "God... no... Laxus?!"

.

"On it." He assured her making his way towards the fight. At first, Natsu didn't seem to notice that he couldn't breathe, but when it hit him, he started to claw at his throat with the suffocating feeling consuming him. Gajeel stopped when he observed Natsu collapse on the ground with a pained cry.

.

"What?! The hell did he do to him?!" He froze when Laxus showed up moments before Karua landed a blow against Gajeel's distracted figure.

.

"Get that metal head in the game." Laxus mocked in encouragement, the flash of his lightning sending Karua back to a safe distance away once more. Laxus turned his disapproving gaze over his shoulder to face Gajeel. "Unless you wanna be eating dirt next to Natsu, that is."

.

"You fool." Karua rumbled triumphantly. "Although they may look like flames, my Hellfire is the furthest from!"

.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried, landing next to his side as he choked and gagged on his own inhalation. "Hold on! I'll heal you!"

.

"Where did you think that Neirah inherited her shadow magic?" Karua mused with a dark, sadistic chuckle. "I MADE HER EVERYTHING SHE IS!"

.

"Crap, so that jerk's been using shadow magic all along?" Gajeel observed in dismay.

.

"Yea but it burns like fire. Like some kind of poison." Laxus turned his indirectly concerned gaze Natsu's way where he struggled to catch his breath. "Moron. You don't screw with forbidden magic. That's why it's forbidden."

.

"Yes, and you know all about the powers of forbidden magic, don't you?" Laxus glared back at Karua bitterly as old wounds were forced opened. "And those spells were inherited directly from me!" He hissed sadistically. "Let's see how well you remember their use!" Laxus flinched when he watched a similar aura surround Karua as what surrounded Neirah in their battle days past.

.

"Oh great, now what?" Gajeel rumbled dismally.

.

"Damn it!" Laxus shouted in panic. "Wendy! Get Natsu to higher ground!"

.

"Uh... right!" Wendy agreed, Happy and Carla both obliging his command.

.

"Up we go!" Happy exclaimed, carrying Natsu towards rocky peaks.

.

"Lily!" Gajeel called, following Laxus' lead.

.

"You got it!" Lily agreed, scooping Neirah up in his arms.

.

"No!" Neirah defended. "They need your help!"

.

"So do you!" Pantherlily added sternly, setting her atop the rocky face. "Your father could care less about the others. If he makes off with you, he will have won!" Neirah cringed and recoiled away from Pantherlily's truth.

.

'He's right...' She thought dismally, watching Gajeel and Laxus attack her father relentlessly. 'I need to get back in there and quick...' She looked over to where Natsu was still struggling to breathe despite Wendy's best efforts. She sealed her eyes in thought, her fists balled tight at her side. 'Everyone else can do it... so I must be capable... right?' She turned her gaze to the battlefield and narrowed it in determination. 'Mind over matter.' She started to fade from sight behind Lily. "Go help Wendy with Natsu." She managed softly and before Lily could protest, Neirah had faded away, leaving his hands to ghost right through her figure in attempted restraint.

.

"Shadow don't!" He demanded urgently.

.

Her shadow crawled along the mountainside and back into the heat of battle, centring itself beneath her father's. "I'm through playing around with you!" Karua roared vehemently.

.

"Reaper's shadow; guillotine!"

.

"Get down!" Laxus warned Gajeel, in anticipation of the invisible blade slicing into the air around them. Gajeel was less than amused when his face was shoved into the dirt, even if it was in defence, but his rage grew even thicker when Karua's attack unexpectedly failed.

.

"I don't understand... What's happening?" Karua mumbled in confusion.

.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" Gajeel snarled, throwing his fist out towards Laxus. "You wanna turn this fight three ways!?"

.

Voices rippled through Laxus' comprehension silently as he watched Karua from a wide, confused gaze. 'I don't get it. Those reaper spells were devastating when I fought Neirah.' His gaze narrowed in on the panicked Karua. 'What's keeping him from using them...?'

.

"Fine!" Karua roared decisively, throwing his hands together with a bitter hiss. "Then burn at my feet! Hell-bringer's apocalyptic flame!" The battlefield darkened until the hand against one's nose was out of sight and moments later, a violet magic circle was at the feet of every slayer present. Moments after the field ignited in dark flame, pained cries filled the air with the fall of Fairy Tail's only defence.

.

Karua stepped over the charred land, observing the devastation he'd brought to his daughter's rescue party with delight. "What a pathetic excuse for a guild..." He rumbled darkly, the fog settling back in over the mountain. "And you..." He rumbled bitterly, kicking a motionless Laxus in the ribs. "You call yourselves dragon slayers. You will survive this encounter for one reason... One day my little pet will return in my place to finish the job." A dark, maniacal chuckle rose within him as he started away from where Laxus laid. "Now... for me to go and collect my priz-" He paused and loomed over Gajeel's figure for a long moment, venom bleeding into his expression. "But you..." He snarled viciously. "I expected better of Master Jose's prized pon. You will die today..." He promised. "Right before her very eyes. And she will rue the day she ever met you."

.

The smell of his own blood made his stomach churn and his ears rang with the sound of Karua's dark laugh; a laugh he was far too familiar with.

.

* * *

.

 _Moments after hot stone gave way beneath her unconscious figure, leaving her to careen over the edge and into the fiery pits of her captor, a familiar presence was there to make the capture before molten rock swallowed her up. "Damn it Shadow, you're a real pain in my neck." Although his voice may usually comfort the frightened young girl, she was unable to comprehend his presence in her state. Gajeel ground his teeth down and forced himself to attempt the climb up over the ledge with one arm, but when the scalding temperatures weakened the rock at his fingertips, he was only sent further down the rocky face. He narrowly caught himself but with an unconscious Neirah occupying his right arm, panic started to fester inside him. "You got us in it good this time..." He grunted out harshly, fingers straining to cling to disintegrating fragments of what remained of the ledge she'd been struck into. He tipped his gaze back to observe what remained of his contact with the ledge, watching as it slowly crumbled away. He sealed his eyes and tried not to notice their survival slipping and with a determined roar, he shook the sweat from his brow. "You had better wake up, kid, because I ain't lettin' you go!" With the muffled whimper breaking the stagnating boiling of the pit beneath them, his attention dropped hopefully to where her fingers finally found and clung to his wrist._

 _._

 _"The fool..." Karua spat out under his breath while simultaneously wiping at the blood that had surfaced from the slit in his brow. "Some hero." His expression paled the moment strong fingers made intense contact with the stable ground. A low growl of impatience rose within him as he watched Neirah's hand rise over the side of the ledge next, trembling painfully as her rescuer helped her up. "Well, this is more than a little inconvenient." He rumbled lowly._

 _._

 _"Sorry it took me so long, kid." Gajeel rumbled softly, trying to conceal the way his heartbeat raced with his worry for her safety. "This clown did a good job at makin' it hard for me to get to you." His expression darkened as he watched her tremble in pain and fear like he had never seen before. "Come on, kid, talk to me." He encouraged roughly, rubbing the soot away from her tear stained face. "This ain't like you..."_

 _._

 _"Daddy..." She murmured weakly, clutching her abdomen as she began to fall. Gajeel shot a fierce gaze in Karua's direction as he clutched the young girl's trembling figure to his chest._

 _._

 _"Yea, I can see that..." He gently laid Neirah down against the rocks as she drifted in and out of consciousness, her body broken from the struggle she'd obviously put up before he got there. He climbed to his feet, shrugging off his own exhaustion as he glowered at his opponent._

.

* * *

.

Adrenaline had long since bled the pain from his system despite the earth-shattering rumble of his clenched fist sinking into the dirt before him. 'Get... up.' He thought distantly, trying to force a shift in his weight against the ground. 'The kid's countin' on you... to bring her home...'

.

* * *

.

 _"How dare you interfere with this family matter?!" Karua roared vehemently._

 _._

 _Gajeel casually dropped his gaze and rolled the tension from his stiff shoulder. "She'd finally given up on you." He rumbled darkly, Neirah's suffering still all too apparent to him as she whimpered in pain against the ground with a haggard cough. "You turned your back on 'er... and left her to fight for her life." Karua rocked back on his heels, black flames warming his palms. The fires around them danced in the reflection of glossy crimson eyes as Gajeel lunged towards Neirah's father with rage unbound. "You don't know the first thing about family!"_

.

* * *

.

He slowly opened his eyes and watched Karua walk towards where he saw Lily had fallen. "No..." He snarled furiously to himself. His arms trembled in support of his weight as he struggled to rise, the sound of his own denial somehow spurring his determined approach.

.

* * *

.

 _"Dragon?" Neirah propped her chin against his shoulder as she pressed against his back for support. "No way! You're like a big lion! Brave and fierce!" She crooned playfully between growls before flopping onto her back beside him, resting the back of her head against his thigh._

 _._

 _"I ain't a lion so stop callin' me that." He growled in feeble protest, turning his head to divert his attention defiantly._

 _._

 _"Nuh uh! It's so true!" She scrambled to her feet and threw her head back, her scrawny arms wide at her sides and flexed with her pitiful attempt at impersonating his strength. "I am mighty dragon slayer Gajeel! Hear me roar!" She wailed hysterically as his gaze shifted unimpressed from side to side as he followed her youthful and enthusiastic theatrics._

 _._

 _"Please tell me that's just a really crappy impression..." He mumbled softly in insult. He flinched when she shifted out from beneath his mane and threw herself into his lap to look up at him in admiration._

 _._

 _"But you're my lion." She mused affectionately, bright silver eyes filled with warmth. "And we'll always be there to look out for each other, right?" He stared down at her for a long moment before he closed his eyes with a distant scoff, his lips curling into a devilish grin._

 _._

 _"Heh, the day you're lookin' out for me? I'm probably already dead." She wrinkled her nose defiantly in protest._

 _._

 _"Well, I don't care what you say! Some day I'm gonna be as great as you!" She argued softly. "And when I am, I promise I'll never let you down big brother."_

.

* * *

.

"I'm not gonna let you down, kid." He growled softly, searching desperately for the strength he needed to fight. "'Cause I ain't dead."

.

"What's this?" Karua rumbled distantly, turning back to face the stirring of the iron dragon slayer at his feet.

.

Gajeel drove his fist into the earth with a furious growl. "Now Get. Up!" Natsu slowly opened his eyes, a wounded Wendy lying at his side carefully coddling an unconscious Carla.

.

"Gajeel...?" He murmured quietly.

.

"I may not be a lion, but you ain't gettin' out of here without hearin' me roar..." Gajeel assured the man boldly as he forced his feet beneath him. Karua snorted in derision as he turned to face the man struggling to stay on his feet.

.

"What a pity your little friend isn't going to be conscious to witness this." He mewled confidently. "I suppose I will have to kill you before I retrieve her."

.

"You just love to hear yourself talk..." Natsu hissed rancorously from the opposite side of Karua, turning the man's attention his way. Natsu climbed to his feet and glared back at the man fiercely, wiping his fist against his mouth. "That was a real dirty trick you pulled earlier, but I'm just about ready to pay you back for it, you filthy scumbag."

.

"Stay out of this Salamander. This is my fight!" Gajeel snapped back.

.

"You're wrong..." Wendy whimpered sadly nearby, Carla awake and fussing over her wounds. Wendy clutched her shoulder with a pained cry as she stood up. "We want to help protect Neirah too..."

.

"Careful child! You're terribly wounded!" Carla demanded in a worrisome manner.

.

"But she's right. It's not two against the world anymore." Laxus rumbled lowly, already on his feet and advancing confidently towards Karua. "I count four dragon slayers, Karua, and one of you. I'd say that math deals you some pretty crappy odds..." His gaze flashed darkly in determination. "You picked the wrong guild to piss off. You're not taking her anywhere."

.

"I will take her wherever I want!" Karua wailed feverishly. "She is _my_ daughter!" Before Gajeel could even offer his response, Natsu was interrupting him.

.

"And our sister!" Natsu cried out bitterly, taking charge. "She belongs with her family at Fairy Tail and we refuse to leave without her!"

.

Karua's fierce gaze roamed the foggy battlefield and rested individually on each dragon slayer that stood before him, two of which had suffered the blunt of a blow that would have made the gods roll in their graves. Despite their battered figures, none of them looked like they were ready to stand down and each had a fierceness in their eyes that hadn't been there before. 'How many times do I have to kill you people?' His face twisted into a disgusted grimace as he seethed with uncontainable fury.

.

"Gajeel!" Gajeel turned his attention to the sky with Pantherlily's call, offering a soft grunt of acknowledgement. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think we'd be vulnerable to his attack!" Lily rushed out swiftly between ragged breaths as he flew down towards the others.

.

"What?!" Gajeel demanded heatedly. "Where's Shadow?!" Karua quickly diverted his gaze and scoured the land for Neirah's presence.

.

"No!" He hissed in distress.

.

"She's gone?" Wendy cooed softly. "But I didn't see her leave?!"

.

"Don't be foolish, child," Carla assured her sternly. "She was in far too serious a condition to have left on her own."

.

"Wah! You don't think that attack made her disappear again, do you?!" Happy wailed in alarm, flying around in swift circles.

.

"Nah, she ain't gone..." Natsu assured him roughly, attracting Laxus' attention as his curiosity piqued. "Happy, Lily; you two fly ahead and try to find her." He rumbled hoarsely. "We got this guy." The battle was set the moment flames licked up Natsu's forearms and his narrowed glare met Karua's.

.

"Aye!" Happy agreed enthusiastically, taking off next to Lily.

.

"On it!"

.

"Carla, I want you to go with them…" Wendy whispered determinedly.

.

"I most certainly will not!" Carla argued defiantly. "I-"

.

"Look, Carla, I know you don't trust Neirah… but she might need your help." Wendy thrust her little, balled fists along her sides and turned to face her. "Like it or not, this is our family now! And I'm going to fight to keep it safe just like Natsu and the others." Carla's gaze trembled as she looked up into Wendy's maturing features, defeat heavy in her heart.

.

"As you wish…" She managed almost inaudibly. "Stay close to the others." She ordered, covering for her worrisome fears. "This man is incredibly dangerous. Please be careful!" She added as she took flight to follow Happy and Pantherlily.

.

"I saved your ass once today already, you metal-munchin' freak." Laxus rumbled darkly, nearing Gajeel's side as the two men glowered simultaneously at their common enemy. "The next time's gonna cost you." Gajeel grunted unenthusiastically at the thought.

.

* * *

.

 _"Think about it, Carla. Laxus got a lead on Neirah last night, shortly after Gajeel found out about it, he changed his mind out of nowhere and decided to set up camp knowing full well that Laxus wouldn't sit still when he had an idea of where Neirah was. He then proceeded to let Laxus get out of our sights and continue his search. On top of that, he led us in the opposite direction to buy Laxus time to find her." A chorus of startled gasps met their group._

 _._

 _"Awe, that's so sweet." Wendy mewled softly. "He's giving them time to be alone."_

 _._

 _"Yea he loooves her." Happy added._

 _._

 _"Would you all knock it off!?" Gajeel growled bitterly. "Look it ain't nothing like that! I couldn't care less about what happens to that arrogant jackass." His gaze narrowed vehemently on the remains of Marionette. "All I care about is trackin' down Karua and tearin' him apart."_

.

* * *

.

"Don't think this changes anythin' between us." Despite his best efforts, Gajeel was forced to let a sharp peripheral gaze slide Laxus' way when the man scoffed at his remark; a sinister grin curling his lips. Laxus wrapped his fingers around in a dangerously tight fist, golden sparks leaping from his skin at the ready.

.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

.

"Alright, you fake-fire freak!" Natsu yelled out bitterly, thrusting an extended forefinger in Karua's direction. "Give us back our sister!"

.

Karua's figure trembled with vehemence as he lost what little self-control he had left, his body igniting in a shadowy flame with his wrath. "Never…" His gaze grew empty as he turned to face the four unified dragon slayers with a bitterly enraged roar. "The power of infinity is MINE!"


	11. Infinity's First Flight

**Infinity's First Flight**

.

.

"Keep dreamin'!" Laxus shouted back, darting head first into battle with the deranged threat.

.

"Not fair!" Natsu pouted impatiently, his flames mixing into the fray as he leapt into combat himself. "I wanted the first hit on him!"

.

"Then you should have been here hours ago!" Laxus assured him darkly the moment Karua deflected his attack. "Back." He warned swiftly, leaping out of harm's way.

.

"Huh?" Natsu blinked back at him in confusion. "You're runnin' already?! But the jerk's still breathin'!?"

.

"Now kid," Gajeel demanded hoarsely from where he and Wendy had lingered behind the others.

.

"Right!" Wendy agreed enthusiastically, balling her fists at her side. "Sky dragon's roar!" She screamed in command, the wind tunnel plummeting towards Karua's distracted figure as it fended off Natsu's attacks.

.

"Iron dragon's roar!"

.

"Wah!" Natsu scrambled away in a panic just in time to narrowly escape the path of destruction caused by the other two slayers. "Watch where you're attackin' guys!" He whined heatedly. "That could'a hurt!"

.

"Then stay out of my way!" Gajeel roared furiously, chasing his attack into the skirmish. "Iron dragon's club!"

.

"You will never silence me!" Karua called out in determination, his dark aura disbursing in thick bolts of power. "Go back to your pathetic excuse for a guild and repent for your impudence!" After Laxus had leapt back in order to dodge a dangerous strike, Gajeel was quick to slip beneath Karua's guard and pick up the slack.

.

"Fire dragon's… iron fist!" Natsu called out, a pillar of flame touching the sky with the collision of his fire and Karua's combined. Natsu leapt backwards with a bitter curse when Karua's malevolent laugh was chasing his counter attack. "Damn it! Why can't we seem to hit him!?"

.

Wendy whimpered softly as she watched Karua fighting Laxus and Gajeel, her brow furrowed in thought. "Wait…" She managed softly.

.

* * *

.

 _"Crap, so that jerk's been using shadow magic all along?" Gajeel observed in dismay._

 _._

 _"Yea but it burns like fire. Like some kind of poison."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

"I've got it!" Wendy concluded certainly.

.

"What? Really?!" Natsu mused.

.

"Yea! Look at Laxus!" She suggested. "He's using more hand to hand combat than anything. I think he's realised already that that weird shadow flame Karua is using has the ability to negate the power of other element based attacks!" She flinched with the power of her discovery. "That must have been how he was able to attack the other slayers! Their attacks wouldn't affect him!"

.

"Ah, so that freaky flame's suckin' out all my firepower, right!?"

.

"Right!"

.

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu called out in exhilaration. "I'm all fired up now!" Wendy flinched as Natsu took off towards the other three. "Time to throw down some good ol' fashioned-"

.

"This is beginning to bore me!" Karua roared through his shadowy veil. "Come forth servants of the reaper!"

.

"Wuh oh! That sounds less than good!" Natsu retracted his attack in alarm as shadow reapers rose around them from the earth.

.

"No way! I've seen this before!" Gajeel rushed out in alarm. "It's the same type of goons Master Jose summoned during Phantom Lord's fight with the guild!"

.

"Great. So you got any advice on how to beat 'em?" Laxus hissed impatiently.

.

"Yea!" Gajeel added, leaping out of the phantoms way. "Don't let em' touch you!"

.

"Crap! So now we've gotta worry about these things and still try to hit him?!" Natsu closed his eyes and cried out in fiery frustration. "Errr NO FAIR! Damn it Karua! Just stop hiding and fight me!"

.

"As you wish." Natsu's eyes widened as Karua bolted towards him and crashed into him with a dark burst of shadowed flame, sending him sailing into his dark servants. "Feed off of his light!"

.

"Natsu!" Wendy wailed in terror, listening to him struggle to burn the apparitions away. "Oh no! Karua is so much stronger now that he isn't wasting any of his power to control other people!"

.

"Grah! Get OFF OF ME!" Natsu raged, a brilliant burst of crimson flame incinerating the creatures. To his dismay though, they were quick to return with Karua's maniacal laughter.

.

"Fool! Tremble before the power of the shadows!"

.

"You don't scare me," Gajeel growled furiously, leaping into the air. "And there's only one Shadow I give a damn about!" Karua's brows furrowed impatiently as he slunk into the shadows to avoid the sword of the iron dragon moments before it sliced through his memory.

.

"That's it, keep runnin'." Laxus mocked, bolting to where his shadow faded back into sight. Karua cried out in pain the moment contact was made between he and the rowdy lightning dragon and he quickly retreated behind more shadow servants in defence. "I got really good at playin' this little game, compliments of your daughter."

.

"Then here! Have a little something else from her, compliments of me!" Karua roared with vehemence. "Reaper's shadow; guillotine!"

.

"Damn it!" Laxus prepared to defend, but like before, Karua's reaper spells proved ineffective. "What? Again?"

.

"RAGH! What is interfering with my Reaper magic!?" Karua wailed in panic. "Then let's see how you like the wail of my banshees!" Karua's triumphant and maniacal laughter cut through the air with the sharp wailing of his undead apparitions, but the slayers were far from being able to comprehend it.

.

"What the hell is that!?" Natsu cried out in agony, throwing his hands against his ears.

.

"Not nice!" Gajeel growled from behind bared teeth. "Somebody shut him up!"

.

"That's right! Silly me…" Karua snarled sadistically. "You dragon slayers have mighty sensitive hearing, don't you? Go my servants!"

.

"No please! Make it stop!" Wendy cried desperately.

.

* * *

.

"Good heavens, what is that god awful noise!" Carla exclaimed, her paws pressed tight against her ears.

.

"I don't know, but if it's reaching us with this intensity I fear that Gajeel and the others may be in trouble," Pantherlily added mimicking her gesture.

.

"So dizzy…" Happy murmured, weaving through the air as if he were intoxicated. "I'll protect you… Carla…"

.

"Please Wendy… Be safe…" Carla murmured softly with her worry.

.

* * *

.

Laxus winced and brought his teeth together with a determined growl, his gaze narrowing on an overconfident Karua. 'Neirah never used this spell during our fight.' He thought in reminiscence. 'It's still Reaper magic but she doesn't know it. Every spell he's tried to use on us that I know of… has been unsuccessful…' His eyes widened in realisation.

.

* * *

.

"Neirah?" Carla called out to the still air around them.

.

"Shadow! Can you hear me?!" Pantherlily reiterated in alarm.

.

"Neirah!" Happy added hopelessly.

.

* * *

.

Laxus shifted his wide gaze to the ground, sick of listening to his friends demanding that Karua silence the area. When he cut his gaze back to Karua, it bled dry of suffering and grew hard with determination. With a distracting cry of fortitude, he began his charge towards the unstable man. "I've heard just about enough out of YOU!" Blindsided, Karua cried out in pain as he was catapulted back by his opponents strike, crashing against the mountainside and silencing the screeching of his ghosts. "You like games, don't you Karua!?" Laxus mocked brutally. "You must with all the hiding you've been doing!"

.

"You insolent wretch!" Karua barked viciously.

.

"No, I'll be it," he mocked darkly. "I'm one hell of a seeker… You have three seconds to hide." He warned him slowly, his gaze darkening with malice. "And I start seeking…"

.

"Wayward souls, snuff out his life!" Karua demanded, showering the apparitions with assorted shadow weapons.

.

"One…" Laxus rumbled shortly, keeping eye contact with Karua as he remained unmovable beneath the swarming of the creatures.

.

"Laxus get out of there!" Natsu warned in alarm.

.

"Two…"

.

Natsu flinched as Laxus threw his open hand out towards the earth, sparks leaping from his skin as his enemies closed in.

.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Gajeel roared in disbelief. "He's gonna get himself-"

.

"Three…" Laxus hissed darkly with the expulsion of massive amounts of electricity, sending the shadowy servants back to their graves. His gaze flashed with triumph as gasps filled the air and the warmth of flesh met his open palm. "Ready or not!" He roared, delighting in the utter look of terror welling inside Karua as he drew Neirah back out from the shadows beneath. "Here we COME!" Karua's terrified gaze fell on Neirah's shadowed appearance as violet and gold sparks commingled, the force of her friend's assurance sending her into the air. After a moment to gain her focus, black strands of electricity were engulfing her fists, violet ones marking her darkened flesh as she adjusted her freefall to power towards his trembling silhouette.

.

"Karua!" She wailed energetically, darting towards her father with a determined roar of defiance.

.

"You!" He exclaimed in loathing. "You were interfering with my reaper spells!" He cried out as she brought her flying axe kick down into his shoulder with a furious cry, fists of dark lightning pounding away at his flesh mercilessly as he struggled to defend. She drew her leg up and around her body to slam it into his face, sending him toppling backwards with a devastated expulsion of breath. "No… how!?" He whimpered through his rage.

.

Neirah snorted in derision and drew her fist by her face, her dark sparks crawling along her forearm. "Let's just say that if what forbidden shadow magic tastes like is any indicator as to how the rest of the elements taste, I don't know how these jerks take theirs in."

.

"I'm sorry, Gajeel." Lily offer dismally upon their return. "We can't find her any-"

.

"Hey!" Happy cried out in relief. "It's Shadow!"

.

"Hah!" Natsu exclaimed with delight. "She totally ate up his reaper spells!"

.

"Shadow was eating shadows?" Wendy questioned with amusement.

.

'I don't get it... She's never been able to do that...' Gajeel's gaze narrowed suspiciously with his worry. 'Why now...'

.

"This… is impossible…" Karua snarled, dragging his fists through the air with precision.

.

"What's that?!" Natsu demanded in alarm, watching dark shadowed lines appear before Karua.

.

"A magic circle?" Wendy added in confusion.

.

"Yea, but why does it look so funny?"

.

'No… not again…' Gajeel thought, a dark unsettling feeling washing over him. 'What the hell is he planning..?'

.

"Mark my words…" Karua rumbled lowly. "Fairy Tail will burn at my feet and the world will tremble before the insidious puppet master!" Laxus' eyes widened as the man withdrew a dagger from his belt and gripped it in both hands, deranged laughter echoing over the mountain as he drove the blade through his own chest.

.

"WHAT!?" A startled serenade of uncertain gasps filled the air as Karua continued to laugh with his arms out to the sides, the dagger buried deep within his chest. From his body, the blood that flowed made its way down onto the rocks beneath him before finally, it climbed back up to fill in the circle.

.

"Alright, there's something really creepy about a half dead old guy laughing like that as he stabs himself in the chest." Laxus murmured distantly.

.

"You think!?" Neirah growled impatiently, grabbing a hold of his wrist in order to drag him away from the sick man before them. "This is the same type of magic they used on me that night, blood ritual magic!"

.

"Are you serious!?" Natsu exclaimed, watching the shadows engulf Karua and become one with his body. "How do we fight him now?"

.

Neirah's gaze narrowed in determination, her body engulfing with her own version of dark, dragon slaying flames. "Hit him as hard as you can until he doesn't get up…" She rumbled darkly.

.

"Wah hah! I like your style, Shads!" Natsu yipped with excitement, joining her in flame.

.

"LET'S GO!" They shouted simultaneously.

.

* * *

.

"Hey Master, are you feeling alright?" Mirajane cooed softly as she joined him on the other side of the bar.

.

"Yes Mira, just a little worried is all." Makarov murmured softly, sipping from his mug with a distant gaze.

.

"They have been gone a long time…" Mira whimpered, looking out over the emptying guild. "Natsu's nose was bound to have picked up something by now."

.

"Yes, yet here we wait." He meditated on his thoughts for a brief moment. "Warren has started out towards the other side of town to try and make contact with anyone. Erza's team hasn't returned either…"

.

"I'm sure they're fine, Master." Mira tried her best to reassure. "Even if Marionette tries to interfere, Laxus and Erza can handle bringing their teams back safe."

.

"Erza perhaps…" Makarov murmured dismally, swishing the remnants of his drink around in his mug. "But I don't know if Laxus will have the conviction to do what needs to be done."

.

"What do you mean by that?" She questioned innocently. "I know he can be a pain sometimes, but he always manages to pull through."

.

"Don't think I haven't noticed how close those two have gotten since we got back." He started sternly. "He's quite attached to that girl… even if he refuses to admit it. If it was his life or hers, I'm starting to believe we would see her return first."

.

"But even if Neirah was still under the Puppet Master's control, there's no guarantee that she'd be strong enough to stop even two of the four slayers." She laid her finger against her chin in thought. "Plus they also took Pantherlily. So even if she did find them before they could break Marionette's control, I don't think she'd pose much of a threat."

.

"Yes, but there is something I didn't tell them about the magic the Puppet Master was attempting to use," Makarov mumbled softly. 'And it is the part that worries me the most.'

.

* * *

.

The combined war cries of the fire dragon slayers pummeling Karua's crazed, shadowed figure were loud, but his dark laugh was always louder. "Flies! Insects!" He roared, swatting Natsu and Neirah to the side with minimal effort.

.

"Get up Natsu!" Wendy demanded from the sidelines where she was exhausting the last of her support magic trying to protect the Exceeds from another vast expulsion of dark magic waves. With a startled cry, her defence finally broke sending her, Carla and Happy sailing through the air.

.

"Wendy! Agh!" Pantherlily was struck next, falling out of his battle form to land delicately next to the pile.

.

"Lily!" Gajeel called back as he clutched his wounded arm.

.

"We're alright!" Lily hollered back. "But my times up. It's up to you four now!"

.

"Why won't you DIE!?" Neirah screeched as she threw a dark fire coated fist into Karua's ribs. Gajeel watched Neirah pummeling her father mercilessly and his reserve shook with uncertainty.

.

"Shads, look out!" Natsu called moments too late. Neirah's shrill cry of pain pierced the air as she was struck dead-on by Karua's piercing waves of shadow that seemed to pulse from around his body in sequence since his ritual had been completed.

.

She was winded and weak by the time Gajeel had caught her mid-flight, saving her from careening off of the mountainside, but barely. "Hang in there, kid." He rumbled softly, despite the searing pain of his wounded arm as he steadied her. "We're not out of the woods yet…" She panted in ragged breaths, her body trembling with what she assumed was adrenaline, eyes wide and focused.

.

"I'm fine, really." She assured him softly as Karua's maniacal chuckle rose above the battle sounds once more.

.

"Look! No, you're not!" Gajeel defended impatiently. "You're burnin' up. I don't know what that freak did to you but somethin' ain't right! I know you, Shads, and this ain't you!"

.

"I said I'm fine!" She wailed, ducking past him in attempts to charge back into battle.

.

"Neirah!"

.

"Ah ah! Listen to the boy and take a seat!" Karua roared, his ever dark magic engulfing the area.

.

"Look out!" Pantherlily cried out in panic. "This wave is different from the others!"

.

"Let the curtain drop on this era so that I might usher in a new one!" Karua shouted the sky with the sound of Acnologia's roar echoing in their ears. "Wrath of the end-bringer! Hellfire's final FLAME!"

.

* * *

.

"What do you mean a soul transfer?!" Mira cried out uncertainly.

.

"If the Puppet Master were to be successful with his plans, the result would tear Neirah away from us forever..."

.

* * *

.

"The only end here will be your own!" Laxus bellowed furiously, his lightning attacks cutting the haze that had befallen them.

.

"There's no way I'm going to let someone show up my flames!" Natsu chimed in with determination. "Fire dragon's brilliant flame!"

.

"HRAAAHHHH! If you're so fascinated with hell than go there yourself!" Neirah cried out in seething fury. "Black lightning shadow drag-" Her world grew still as she watched Karua's attacks rip through the air and devastate the two slayers that stood before her. She could barely hear their cries of pain over her heartbeat as she watched the crimson cloud wash over the mountainside with their blood. "But how…" She squeaked breathlessly.

.

"NEIRAH!"

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _But you're my shadow, kid…"_

.

* * *

.

Kairyn's fist nearby grew tight with restraint, his heavily muscled figure watching silently over the battle as it unfolded. 'I mustn't interfere…' He encouraged himself sternly, even as his powerful body grew tight in preparation to advance. He kept a careful eye on Frost and Wavebreak at his back as they rattled with the need to offer their support to their fellow slayers. His narrowed crimson gaze flashed with the racing of thoughts in his mind joined by a devastated chorus of fallen dragon slayers on the mountainside beneath him. 'It wasn't his will…'

.

* * *

.

"You don't think that could actually happen do you Master?" Mira defended through her devastation.

.

"It is only a legend, but I'm afraid the use of blood magic rituals and forbidden spells make the possibilities endless." Makarov slowly stood and turned away from the bar, leaving Mirajane to tremble with her uncertainty. "This is just between us. I must go and try to find Warren… If the process hasn't destroyed her; we have to be prepared to admit that Neirah's soul has been merged with that of a dragon."

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _I like lightning!" A young Neirah purred affectionately as she sent her efforts into the cliff nearby. "Wow! Did you see that!?" She leapt into the air with the thrill. "Someday I'll be able to level an entire mountain range with this!" She pumped her fist in enthusiasm and expelled a dark chuckle._

 _._

 _"_ _Do not be so swift to judge." She turned her head with a defiant knot in her face as Ryverika leant his head down by her side. "Speed and attack power are not the only things a wizard needs to be strong."_

 _._

 _"_ _No!" She cried out in devastation. "Please tell me we're not training with water again!" She begged, groaning with the dragon's low chuckle._

 _._

 _"_ _Although serenity is important to help maintain a proper balance in spell casting, I was thinking we should work more on defensive arts." She turned around to face him with a displeased whimper._

 _._

 _"_ _But defence can't hurt people…" She argued softly._

 _._

 _"_ _Magic isn't always about inflicting damage, my dear child…" Ryverika rumbled regally as he instructed. "It is also about protecting those you love."_

 _._

 _"_ _Pft, lame…" She murmured under her breath._

 _._

 _"_ _Yes… I think it is time I taught you the ways of my dear friend Metalicana."_

 _._

 _"_ _Metal-what-a?" She repeated with a distraught wrinkle in her nose. She watched Ryverika straighten with a determined smile._

 _._

 _"_ _The great iron dragon."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

Tears rolling hot over her cheeks brought her back onto the hazy battlefield, the dust settling like the night around them as Karua observed the devastation he'd brought forth with his attack.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _My big brother is the greatest dragon slaying wizard in the world!"_

.

* * *

.

Her body started to wrack and tremble in pain with the feeling of pressure enveloping her protectively. Despite the fact that she'd been spared the blast that had left her friends lying still around her, her heart ached with each racing heartbeat as another free memory had been delivered the moment it was inspired by her reality.

.

She threw her arms around her big brother with a desperate squeal as the pressure of his embrace started to fade with the iron scales on his skin. "No!" She demanded shrilly as she shook her tear stained face in denial against his chest.

.

"You've always been a runner, kid…" He rumbled weakly, his voice hoarse with his exhaustion. He dismissed her desperate whimpers and pushed her body away from his, falling to the side with a grunt of pain. "I need you to… run now…"

.

"No!" She cried out defiantly on her hands and knees at his side. "I can't! I WON'T!" She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him in encouragement. "Get up…" She forced out even while she drowned in her tears. "Big brother… please…" She shook her tears from her face as she threw her head back with a shattered cry. "GAJEEL, PLEASE GET UP!"

.

"How wonderful!" Karua mused from where he approached her across the silent battlefield. "He sacrificed himself to save his enemy. I guess you got to watch him die after all. Nobody can survive the wrath of the end-bringer!"

.

"MONSTER!" She wailed furiously, staggering to her feet.

.

"On the contrary, you are the only thing inhuman here, my precious daughter."

.

Her pupils narrowed to slits with the thought. "What are you talking about?" She snarled fervently. "TELL ME!"

.

"You will know soon enough my little infinity dragon slayer." He mused proudly. "Now if you would be so kind, my wounds need tending to."

.

"I will never help you!" She screeched in agony. "NEVER AGAIN!"

.

"Oh come now, darling. There really isn't any reason to be afrai-"

.

"I'm not afraid anymore!" She screamed out defiantly, balling her fists at her sides. She closed her eyes to deny her raining tears and threw her head back with a frustrated shriek. "I finally found a home! All the pain you left me with, THEY TOOK IT AWAY! I feel things now that I never knew possible because of THEM!"

.

Wendy's gaze shifted from across the battlefield where she and the Exceeds were struggling to remain conscious after the devastating blow Karua had landed on their support team. "Neirah…" She whimpered softly.

.

"Careful, child…" Carla whispered gently. "Your wounds…"

.

"I suggest you rethink this shrewd attitude young lady." He scolded through a heated glare. "I made you everything you are… You are an indestructible weapon when properly utilised, but you need my knowledge to harness this new power before it destroys you!" He took a step forward and offered her his hand. "Come with me before you do any more damage to my progress by throwing your little temper tantrum."

.

"Never…" She hissed, raking her hand away. Her gaze flashed hot with flecks of gold as she stared him down. "You didn't make me invincible, but you did give me the power I need to protect my family! So that's what I'm going to do!" She ascertained.

.

"You're a fool!" He accused bitterly, throwing his arm out in blame. "If you will not bend to my will, I will destroy you with the lot of them while you are still weak!" He drew his arms back and gathered an expulsion of dark magic similar to the one that had rendered her friends weak at her feet. "All you are is a failed experiment! Comfort in the knowledge that your ashes will rest in the same soil!"

.

"Then do it!" She roared. "My life was empty and meaningless before I found them – MY LIFE MEANS NOTHING IF I HAVE TO RETURN TO THE WAY THINGS WERE!" She shook her tears free from her amber eyes as a familiar light engulfed her dainty figure.

.

* * *

.

 _"I'm sorry Ryverika..." The young girl whimpered softly, clutching her bandaged arm. "I guess I'm just not strong enough..."_

 _._

 _"One day, my child, you will be." The dragon mused softly, laying his head alongside her. "And when you are, nothing will stand in your way, my little Shadow."_

 _._

* * *

.

"I couldn't save Ryverika… and I'll never forgive myself for being an accessory to his destruction…" She snarled in devastation. "But I won't let you take my big brother too! I'D GIVE IT ALL AWAY IF IT MEANT PROTECTING MY FAMILY!" She threw her fists down at her sides with a tremendous expulsion of golden magical essence. "I'm not the shadow anymore; I AM THE LIGHT!"

.

Gajeel struggled to pick himself up off the ground, his breath barely keeping up with the adrenaline of panic choking him. He groaned helplessly as he watched her screaming to the heavens with determination and rage. 'No… She wasn't right before… The kid's body can't take this kind of power!' He cried out with the shot of pain that ripped through him as he raised his head and searched desperately for a conscious slayer capable of stopping her. "Somebody's gonna stop her right?" He forced out hurriedly. "Natsu?!" His heart sank when he saw Natsu lying not far from him, still unconscious. "No… GET UP!" He roared bitterly.

.

"You wanted a monster? Well, you got me! Face a fate dealt to you by the weapon you sought to use in this war as it fights for the lives of your enemies!" Neirah cried out in warning. "THE LIVES OF MY FRIENDS!"

.

Gajeel closed his eyes and tried to find the strength he needed to stand. "LAXUS! GET THE HELL UP AND STOP HER!" Natsu started to come to with Gajeel's demand, his head light with exhaustion.

.

"Uhn… What the heck's goin' on?" Natsu murmured softly. "What happened?"

.

"I hope you're ready… father… because I won't rest until you've tasted Ryverika's fury!" She hissed vehemently, her narrowed amber gaze glaring chaotically at her father.

.

"You wouldn't!" Karua denied in bewilderment, throwing his arm up in front of him in defence. "You're not strong enough!"

.

"Don't you dare pretend to know my strengths…" She snarled almost beast-like. "THEY'RE ALL AROUND ME!" Karua stumbled back a step in panic as his line of sight fell on four unexpectedly conscious gazes staring right back at him. 'This time for sure...' She thought distantly as she gathered her reserve. "For Ryverika… FOR MY BROTHER! And every other dragon whose blood you've spilt!"

.

"Just try it! I've prepared for this day!" Karua raged in retaliation, his own dark spells conjuring around him for protection. "Let shadow and light converge!"

.

"Tremble before the roar of the-"

.

Gajeel had dragged himself to his feet, but he was far from capable of interfering with the spell that Neirah prepared to cast. "Shadow NO!"

.

"Infinite. DRAGON!"

.

Wendy's scream was shrill as the magnitude of Neirah's attack created a backlash that sent her and the Exceeds straight into the air.

.

"I've got you, Wendy!" Happy managed weakly. "Ah no! Carla!"

.

"Don't worry about me Tomcat! Take Wendy to safety!" Carla cried out through her pain, her wings fluttering weakly behind her with her recovery.

.

"Aye!"

.

Natsu's eyes widened as he watched the magic aura surrounding Neirah expand, but he hadn't expected it to reach where he remained on the ground nearby. "Awe crap!" He cried out in pain as he was thrown into the air towards the cliff. With an indignant call, he threw himself against the ledge clinging to it with all he had so that he didn't meet the ground bellow. "What the hell kind of dragon has this kind of power?!" He hollered in disbelief.

.

Gajeel watched her magic unintentionally leak towards him, but he didn't have the strength to move. "Don't do this to me, kid…" He rumbled softly through a crack in his reserve. "You hear me!?" He roared through painful tears. "If you live through this I'm gonna kill you myself you scrawny little brat!" He flinched when he felt Lily's paws take hold of him and before he knew it, he had an aerial view of the devastation that was Neirah's infinite dragon roar.

.

"That's no way to talk to a friend." Lily teased, delivering them both to safety. Gajeel's expression paled when Karua's maniacal laughter rose up over the sound of the mountain debris settling around them.

.

"NO! There's no FUCKING way he survived that!" Laxus cried out in disbelief.

.

Neirah's body trembled lifelessly as she started to fade out of consciousness. "H-how…?" She whimpered softly, her eyes brilliant and a blue deep as the ocean.

.

"Oh no! His element cancelling magic!" Wendy cried through her tears. "It was strong enough to stop Neirah's attack!"

.

* * *

.

"Impossible!" Wavebreak hissed in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that old man was capable of blocking infinite slayer magic?!" He turned his alarmed gaze Kairyn's way, the crimson dragon slayer's resolve unshaken.

.

"It would be the only way to keep such a force in line once it was obtained..." Frost whispered gently.

.

* * *

.

"Now's my chance!" Karua wailed in triumph, spears of shadowed flame hurtling towards her. "Go back to the shadows where you belong!"

.

Her tears kept falling as her body fell limp to the side, helpless to stop the attack that was sure to claim her life. She watched seas of new memories flashing before her eyes. "No…" She whimpered silently in defeat. "I couldn't protect them… either…"

.

Karua's eyes widened in sheer revolt as the glittering of ice crystals crossed paths with his shadowed strike moments before the deadly blow landed against its target. "NOOO!" He screeched with his rage.

.

"Heh… No dice, pops."

.

Neirah's world was growing dark as she caught the sight of a familiar shirtless man between her and her father, the powerful beauty of maker magic saving her from a gloomy fate. "G-Gray…?" She whimpered softly.

.

"Looks like we got here just in time." Gray mused enthusiastically, his ice barrier protecting the wounded Neirah from the reaper flames of her father's wrath.

.

"IMPOSSIBLE! How can my flames be stopped by that measly ice wall?!" Karua raged bitterly.

.

"These flames are nothing compared to Natsu's!" Gray assured him sternly.

.

"Yes!" Juvia agreed swiftly, taking his side. "And no fire burns brighter than that of our love!" She informed with a determined cry. "You will pay for endangering Juvia's precious Shadow! Water slicer!" Karua threw his hands up into his hair with a blood-curdling wail of terror as Juvia's water extinguished his spells.

.

"Loki! Get Neirah out of there!" Lucy called from where she was approaching the side of the mountain.

.

"Right!" He obeyed swiftly, scooping Neirah up in his arms just in time for Juvia and Gray to go on the offensive. "Don't worry, I've got you." He assured the weak woman softly. Lucy nodded in determination and made her way to Natsu's side, throwing herself onto the ground in order to reach for his hand.

.

"Natsu!" She called out.

.

"Hey Lucy, what're you doing here?!" He asked in confusion, blinking back at her motionlessly.

.

"You wanna keep dangling off the side of the cliff?" She huffed out impatiently. Natsu turned and looked down the cliff side, automatically crying out in terror and clinging to her arm.

.

"Ah! Happy! How did you let this happen!?" He whimpered in defeat. He sighed with relief as Lucy pulled him back over the cliff with an exasperated cry of effort. "Whoa… that was close…" He panted weakly, turning to face her at his side. "Rescue party?"

.

Lucy threw a thumb up and winked at him with a soft reassuring laugh. "Rescue party!"

.

"This can't be happening!" Karua's deranged cry was shrill as he panicked and tried his best to slither away. "How could they have known!?"

.

"You have brought devastation unimaginable to this world for as long as anyone can remember!" Erza raged, sprinting across the battlefield between Gray and Juvia. "Fairy Tail will see that your fate is sealed!"

.

Kairyn's dark gaze observed the determined woman carefully with Jellal's warning in the back of his mind.

.

"Be careful Erza! He's still got some bite!" Gray warned her cautiously as he dodged the flames of his flailing in sync with Juvia.

.

"Juvia will make a path!" Juvia assured her determinedly, snuffing out the man's last deranged strikes. "Water nebula!"

.

"Yes… Thank you." Erza acknowledged on passing. "Now face judgment!" She cried out, leaping into the air in front of him.

.

"No! Stay away!" He begged, throwing what little of his power remained towards her.

.

"Requip!" She bellowed in command. "Heaven's wheel!" Karua's eyes widened and he was thrown to the ground, trembling as he tried his best to crawl away from ten swords.

.

"No… no! NOOO!" Karua's battle weary figure rattled at Erza's feet pitifully with every rushed out breath raising his throat against her blade.

.

"No…" Neirah whimpered softly against Loke's chest.

.

"Hm?" He acknowledged quietly.

.

"Father… N-no… Erza…"

.

Erza's brow furrowed with Neirah's desperate whimpers, her heart aching for the girl's suffering. "Neirah begged me to take her life on this blade the night you tormented her spirit to the point of breaking." Erza rumbled vehemently. "She would give anything to protect her friends… even her life!" Her gaze flashed hot as she drew her sword above her head with a furious roar. "Don't ever think for a second that Fairy Tail wouldn't risk the same for her!" Karua's pathetic cry was filled with desperation as he watched the blade fall, but to his surprise, it buried itself in the ground next to him.

.

"What are you doing!?" Gajeel roared furiously. "Finish him off!"

.

Erza dismissed Gajeel's furious calls as she glared down towards the man at her feet. "If you ever… try to harm Neirah again…" She warned sternly, drawing her sword from the ground. "You'll have more than dragon slayers after your head." Karua's wide and terrorised gaze burned the image into his mind of the guild that stood before him ready to tear the remainder of his flesh from his bones. Wendy, Happy, Carla, Lily, Gajeel, Laxus, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Loki, Erza: "It will be all of Fairy Tail!"


	12. No Place like Home

**No Place Like Home**

.

.

A battle weary and bandaged Gajeel sat by Neirah's bedside, her small hand in his for the longest time as he waited for even the slightest of signs that she would pull through.

.

Propped against the wall at the foot of her bed, an equally battered Laxus had his arms folded over his chest, his downcast gaze heavy in waiting. Gajeel, who had been still for hours, caused him to flinch when he finally moved, his dark crimson gaze shifting ever so slightly in Laxus' direction.

.

"D'you say what you needed to say before Karua showed up?" Laxus' gaze softened as he turned it downcast once more, diverting it from the fierce interrogation that was his roommate's.

.

"Yea..." He offered softly, the thoughts fresh in his mind. "Thanks."

.

Gajeel scoffed irately and turned his gaze back to Neirah as she struggled with soft whimpers in a cold sweat. "Don't mention it..." He ordered him sternly. " _Ever_."

.

Laxus closed his eyes, his lips curling into an appreciative smile. "Sure thing."

.

Mirajane and Master Makarov flinched on their approach to Neirah's hospital room when Laxus came flying out the door and across the hall into the wall. "Now get. OUT!" They heard Gajeel shout bitterly, slamming the door shut behind the discharged lightning dragon slayer.

.

"Oh my." Mira crooned softly with an awkward smile displayed on her sweet features.

.

"I'm so glad to see you boys getting along." Makarov rushed out sarcastically, his grandson turning away defiantly with a disgruntled scoff.

.

* * *

.

The woman walked feebly over the ruins of the mountains to where Karua's fading life lay motionless upon the earth, her shawl clutched tightly to her frail frame. When she finally arrived at his body, her once gentle face twisted into the most scornful of gazes and darkened with loathing. "After all that you put that child through, she still found a place in her heart to have you spared." She all but snarled over his broken figure. It was strange, to see the look of malice on such a kind creature's face. Karua's shuttering efforts to turn his head made the scornful scoff he offered the woman in defiance even harsher upon expulsion. "Now do you see why the infinity dragon chose her?"

.

"Su-ri..." He hissed bitterly, trying his best to stay conscious and find strength to oppose her.

.

"You are a wretched man and don't deserve the life you have much less the one you tried to take away from that girl."

.

"You know... nothing..."

.

Suri wrinkled her delicate nose before offering him a swift and awkward kick in the side. Age saw her balance waver, but she wouldn't let it keep her from dealing Karua the fate he deserved. "I knew when Jose fell that Fairy Tail would find a way to stop you!" She demanded darkly. "Even though you two schemed, those kids found a loving home filled with people that cared about them! I couldn't have been happier to witness their triumph this day."

.

"It was you!" He coughed out furiously, struggling to try and cause her harm. "You were the one who sent her away with that boy!"

.

" _That boy_ was the best thing that ever happened to her!" She yelled back at him, driving her heel into his bloody hand to shoo it away; delicately lifting the corners of her skirt so not to soil them with his presence. "He searched for a safe place for her, to get her the help that she needed. But when he brought her back to me, I begged him to take her with him! I knew that the love she had for him would save her from the confusion that consumed her young mind and it did! But he wasn't the reason why your memory writing spells didn't work on her... I was."

.

"You...!" Karua snarled bitterly.

.

"Yes. I cast a protection seal on her the night he brought her back to me and ever since it has slowly been consuming my life's energy to sustain," she informed softly. "But I have had enough time on this earth. Enough time to watch Neirah become a beautiful young woman filled with love and compassion and enough time to see that you ended up where you belong. It was a life spent…"

.

"You witch!" He fumed. "I will see you dead with the rest of them!"

.

Suri folded her hands neatly in front of herself and closed her eyes. "Not if I see you there first..." She snorted with a soft smile. "The child's heart may be kind and filled with forgiveness, but you will not find it in me."

.

Panic started to rise within him as a dark magic circle started to form at her feet. Suri's magic had always focused on protection and concealment, never something so bleak and malicious. "What!? Where did you learn-"

.

"You should care for your library more respectably," she purred softly, a hoarse rasp in her tired voice. "I studied forbidden spells for seven years in the city of Magnolia so that one day I could pay you back for your crimes... and finally free Neirah from your manipulative ways." Her ears rang with the devastated howls rising from Karua as his remaining life was consumed at her feet. "Every breath you take dishonours the man who truly sired that magnificent child…" Her milky blue eyes shone with tears as she ran a blade over her palm and let her blood flow into the magic circle raking Karua to the depths. "You destroyed your own true flesh and blood for this cause, something that cannot be replaced by stealing another's child! You do not deserve second chances. You do not deserve the air that you breathe!"

.

Karua's wails were bloodcurdling as he suffered a most deserved fate that Fairy Tail was too noble to bestow upon him. A life in prison was too kind to him and it did not see Neirah safe. So long as Karua drew breath, he would continue to pose a great danger to the magical community; something that she could not allow. 'My dear Neirah...' She thought quietly, tears slowly running down over the tired lines on her smiling face. 'I am sorry to have allowed this fate befall you, but I hope you find it in your beautiful heart to forgive me too. I couldn't be any prouder of the woman you've become. I want you to live, and be free to laugh and cry to your heart's content; emotions that you were so tragically denied upon your birth.' Karua's screams of agony had finally stopped with his final heartbeat, leaving the spell to conclude with one last breath of life. 'Protect those you love and cherish them always... Your memories, their smiles…' Her soft smile remained on her face as she laid it upon the ground, her tears drying with the loss of her own life as it was offered to the sacrificial spell. 'Be strong, child… Be everything that I... couldn't be...'

.

* * *

.

The sun was setting on yet another day as Laxus took a long walk across town alone with his thoughts and troubles. Days were about to turn into a week and the weight of the situation's seriousness was starting to shorten his stride. Neirah still hadn't woken which had left many of his questions unanswered. Where had she come by so much power? Why did her father not carry the same scent as her? The hardest part of his thoughts running rampant was the thought that stripped him of the right to ask.

.

* * *

.

 _"I was impressed when you survived the unlocking of your memories and even more surprised that you came through the soul absorption."_

 _"Soul absorption? Now what the heck is he talking about?" Laxus managed, flexing his fist in the dirt._

.

* * *

.

He mimicked a similar gesture as his fist closed in on itself. "How can you be sure, old man?" He rumbled softly to himself.

.

* * *

.

 _"You're saying she's been walking around with some spell on her all this time and didn't even know it?" Laxus interrogated curiously._

 _._

 _"Exactly," Makarov assured him softly. "Somebody cast a protection spell on her and from what Gajeel says; the mark on her ankle has been there ever since he can remember. Somebody cared deeply for our Neirah besides us and the thought of being unable to thank them for what they did for her distresses me."_

 _._

 _"But it's gone now...?" Laxus pried._

 _._

 _"Yes. It would seem something has become of the caster." Makarov turned and faced his grandson with a bleak expression. "But wherever they are, and whatever fate has befallen them, we owe them a great deal of gratitude. Not only did they keep Karua from tampering with Neirah's mind any further, but they may also have saved her from the completion of the ritual he forced her to partake in."_

 _._

 _"So, they screwed up their ritual..." He diverted his gaze solemnly with his summary of their conversation. "I'd say she's been out for an awful long time for that to be the case."_

 _._

 _"Yes, of that I'm certain. All Karua managed to do was free her memories of the past that he had poisoned and see her walk away with a connection to seven other wizards. Blood ritual magic doesn't come without its mark, but eventually, it too will fade and she will lose the ability to connect with the seven of you. In the end, all Karua managed to do was save her from himself."_

 _._

 _"_ _Her sickness was not due to her exposure to the ritual. She suffered minor trauma when Karua released the seal on her memories, but that was it. It was a lot of her to consider, all those years of life lost. It will take a while for her to sort everything out, but I have no doubts that she is capable. The rest she did herself." Makarov assured him confidently. "The damage that has caused her the most suffering was when she attempted to take in Karua's reaper magic. Despite it being a form of shadow magic, Neirah doesn't seem to be able to consume elements like you other slayers. Her body can't seem to withstand a spike in power levels like the rest of you can."_

 _._

 _"That would explain why she's never attempted it before."_

 _._

 _"_ _Yes, like trying to feed a horse buttercups. The taste doesn't appeal to them." Makarov tipped his head back, his fingers linked behind his back as he stared up into the sky. "There is a lot we don't know about Fairy Tail's Shadow, but we still know more than she does." He cautioned, his gaze softening with the completion of their bleak interactions. "And what we do know seems to have you quite taken by her."_

 _._

 _Laxus threw his head to one side with a defiant scoff. "She's a member of Fairy Tail, isn't she? I thought you encouraged us to take that kind of thing seriously."_

 _._

 _"Ah, but if it were one of the other wizards in such danger would you have been so willing to chase them down?" Makarov mused knowingly. "And in all technicality, she wasn't a Fairy Tail wizard when you found her, was she?"_

 _._

 _"Look, that's none of your damn business." Laxus quipped back impatiently with his grandfather's teasing. "It's not my fault that those losers are too weak to bring her back on their own. I was just doing what I was told."_

 _._

 _"Ah I see, so you still don't remember the girl, do you?"_

 _._

 _"What part of 'none of your damn business' didn't you understand, old man?"_

 _._

 _Makarov smiled and started away. "Human soul, dragon soul, whether you remember her or not; you must know that the girl is quite fond of you." A small smile found his lips upon parting. "Wouldn't it be nice if you could recall whatever it is she wants you to by the time she wakes up?"_

 _._

 _"Whatever..." Laxus dismissed casually, refusing to watch his grandfather's retreat. 'Trust me... if I could... I would...'_

.

* * *

.

He turned his gaze away from where he was staring at his trembling fist with a short scoff. "Bickslow shuffling around human souls is one thing... but a freaking dragon's?" Laxus sighed and folded his arms over his chest, sick of the strain his concern was unintentionally causing him. "Tsk, you don't just screw around with something like that... He must've known what he was doing. So why didn't it work?" His gaze narrowed as he stared into the setting sun. "Was that mark on her ankle really that powerful that the spell could have lasted for years and then prevent powerful forbidden magic from forcing an inhuman soul into a human body?" He turned and looked back out towards the city. "I'm not buyin' it. I was there. If that creeps spell really did backfire than he didn't make her stronger at all. That was all her and her memories." He ascertained, his troubled gaze softening as he caught the setting sunray's gleam on Magnolia's hospital. "Somebody else's got their hands in this..."

.

* * *

.

Another morning's light concluded another sleepless night in a quiet hospital room where Levy watched through the doorway as exhaustion weighed Gajeel's eyes heavy despite his defiance claiming he'd stay by her side. She clung to the door frame sadly as Mirajane slid out of the room with a soft sigh. "He's been here all night, hasn't he?" Levy asked quietly upon Mira's passing.

.

"Yea," Mira offered in tender response, turning in the doorway to look back at where Gajeel had become a permanent fixture by Neirah's bedside. "And the night before that too."

.

"Poor guy..." Levy whimpered worrisomely.

.

"The master says she'll be ok, but she's been unconscious for days and her fever just won't break. He thinks that it was because she absorbed her father's reaper spells. He says that she's never been able to use elements to power up before like the other slayers. It's got me really worried..." Mira whispered softly. "But if anyone's going to help her get through this, it will probably be him." The two girls shared a reassured smile as Mira turned to leave and then Levy shifted her attention back to the warming room.

.

After realising that his eyes had been closed longer than what could be considered a blink, he swiftly shook his head and forced them open again. He shifted his gaze to where Neirah was lying, a gentle expression on her motionless figure, the same one that had been there for days. He lowered his gaze with a discouraged sigh before his eyes began to grow heavy again. He watched her take her steady breaths, each one reminding him that she was still alive. "Come on kid..." He grumbled hoarsely, looking down on her still figure. "You gotta hurry and wake up before I become some kind of insomniac." His expression shifted in dismay as the pain of losing her overcame his hopes for her recovery. "Please don't do this to me..." He forced out weakly. "She's all I got..."

.

"Hey..." Gajeel raised his gaze swiftly to where Levy had entered the room, both hands linked behind her back as she poked her head into his line of sight. Thanks for the reminder, God. "How's she doing?" She inquired softly, joining him along her bedside.

.

"The old man says she'll be fine... but she hasn't moved for days..." He rumbled out impatiently. "She'd better still remember how to fight when she wakes up, 'cause she's in for the beatin' of her damn life." He flinched and redirected his attention from Neirah's still figure back to where Levy laughed lightly at his remark.

.

"Yea but from what I hear, neither have you." Her good-humored disposition faded when she turned to see that Gajeel's guard had dropped once again as he stared down at his little sister's bandaged figure, a cool cloth placed by Mirajane resting on her brow.

.

"Ever since I can remember she's been a little nightmare... gettin' into all sorts of trouble." He started slowly. "But not like this..." Levy shifted her gaze to his hand clenching in the bed sheets with restrained emotions. "I tried to tell her that somethin' wasn't right!" He forced out through angrily clenched teeth. "It was too much for 'er but she just wouldn't quit…" His heart sank as he replayed the events over and over in his mind. "She was the only good in me when my life went to hell… The thought of losin' her made me crazy. Made me do things I ain't proud of…" The fist that wasn't wrapped around Neirah's hand clenched unbearably with his frustration. "This was the first time I couldn't bring her home safe..." He admitted in defeat, more to himself than anyone. He flinched when he felt the weight of Levy's hand against his own, and he turned to see her sad, reassuring smile looking back at him.

.

"But she is safe," Levy assured him softly. "She's going to be just fine. You watch!" He stared back at her vacantly as a cute smile found her face, her cheeks flushing with her bashful laugh.

.

"Yer somethin' else, you know that...?" He rumbled distantly, taking undisclosed comfort in just having someone by his side to reassure him like he tried to reassure his little sister.

.

"I just believe in her, you know?" She offered in encouragement, pumping her free hand enthusiastically with her determination. "Shadow has got to be one of the strongest female wizards Fairy Tail has ever seen! There's no way she'll let this keep her down. In a few days, she'll be up and returning the favour when she cheers you on in the Grand Magic Games!" She turned back to face Gajeel as he looked down at his little sister. "And she's got a pretty awesome big brother who would give anything to protect her. There's no way she'll lose this fight..."

.

"I used to think it was anythin'… But I dunno how much longer I'll be able to keep that up..." He assured her hoarsely, his gaze still downcast as he shifted his hand beneath Levy's; reminding her that she still hadn't let go.

.

She flinched and drew her hand away, throwing it back behind her head with an awkward laugh. "O-oh yeah, uh why not?" She rushed out nervously.

.

"'Cause she ain't the only little pain in the ass that needs my protection anymore..."

.

Levy's heart stopped when he turned and looked back at her, her body colouring hot with her embarrassment as she trapped herself in his determined gaze. 'H-holy crap...' She panicked internally, trying not to squeal like a child and retreat in alarm. 'H-he doesn't m-mean me... does he?!'

.

"Mn... uh oh... Is this... a bad time?"

.

Levy and Gajeel both turned their attention to where Neirah shifted against the bed, dark lashes fluttering over deep blue eyes as they opened for the first time in a very long while.

.

"Shadow!" Levy cried out in relief. "You're awake!" With a soft groan of pain, Neirah adjusted herself in bed so that she could sit up, failing half way only to have Gajeel reach forwards and help her complete her objective.

.

"Yea... but I can go back to sleep if you want." She teased perceptively, watching the heat radiate from Levy's face as she waved her hands back and forth in denial from behind Gajeel's line of sight.

.

"I think you've done enough of that this last week." Gajeel scolded her impatiently. "In fact, from here on out, I'm gonna keep _yer_ sorry ass up for the next forty-eight hours straight and see how _you_ like it!" He turned to look over his shoulder briefly with the foreboding feeling of Levy fussing behind him. Levy smiled awkwardly when their eyes met, nodding her head in agreement.

.

"Yea! Gajeel's right, Shads. About the waking up part at least." She assured her warmly. "You have no idea how happy the others are gonna be to hear that you're awake!"

.

Neirah smiled affectionately and fixed her tousled hair around her face. "Jeez, were you two here the whole time?" Gajeel's expression faded in surprise with her inquiry, Levy quickly jumping on the defensive.

.

"Well actually, Mirajane and I have just been keeping the guild informed of your condition," Levy assured her enthusiastically. "This big lug here's been your guardian angel." Gajeel flinched with her remark, his eyes widening as Levy patted him swiftly on the back with another awkward laugh.

.

"Well if that ain't the dumbest thing I've ever heard, I dunno what is." Gajeel hissed out impatiently, forcing Levy pale at his side.

.

"Yea well... Hey! I'm gonna head back and let everyone else know that you're awake!" Levy concluded happily, leaping to her feet. Neirah stilled as Levy grasped the door frame, using it to support her weight as she leant back and winked at her. "I know a certain somebody who's just been _dying_ to see you!"

.

Neirah's cheeks grew hot with embarrassment as the heat of rage stole her brother's. "Hey! Don't you dare tell him that she's up!" He demanded. "Do you hear me, half-pint?! I swear! I'll-"

.

"Hmhm! Bye!" Levy crooned delightfully.

.

"You get back here right now!" Gajeel demanded, climbing to his feet to shake his fist at her shadow. "I ain't gonna sit here next to h-" Realising that it had been a while since he'd last tried to stand, he wavered unsteadily until he almost fell, but Neirah was sitting up and tugging him back down safely into his chair next to her with a grim sigh. "Man, almost forgot how to stand there."

.

"You're right... she really is something..." Neirah purred affectionately, grateful for Levy's ever watchful eye looking after her big brother in her absence.

.

"Yea somethin'! A real pain in the ass!" Gajeel demanded with a bashfully impatient huff.

.

"Just like me, huh?" Gajeel sighed and turned away, his demeanour fading dismally despite the overwhelming sense of relief washing over him. "Dummy." Neirah scolded softly for changing the subject. A warm smile found her lips as she took the cloth from where it had fallen in her lap and set it on the stand beside her bed. "How long were you sitting in here with me?" He turned his head away sheepishly with a defiant scoff.

.

"As long as it took your bratty ass to wake up." He flinched when she reached over and flicked the side of his head with an unimpressed scowl on her face, deep sapphire blue eyes revealing that her magic levels had yet to recuperate from their battle.

.

"Are you looking to end up in a bed down the hall!?" She disciplined. "I swear you're absolutely insu-" She stilled, her heart sinking in anguish when he reached out and threw his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest.

.

"W-what's wrong, Screwball?" She whispered softly, lowering her scolding finger to wrap her arms around him for comfort.

.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again, you hear me?!" He forced out from behind ground teeth and denied emotions. "I came so fucking close; I thought I lost you…"

.

Neirah smiled and snuggled against him, his comforting presence reminding her of when she was a sick child; holding her to keep her strong through the fight. "Maybe you did, for a while..." She teased gently. "But you've always been there to find me again..." She pulled away from him and looked back into his grateful expression. She held his tearstained face in her hands, looking back at him proudly. "Gajeel...? You're the best big brother a scrawny little brat could ask for."

.

* * *

.

"YeeeeeAHHHH! Shadow's a-WAKE!"

.

Gajeel and Neirah flinched back in terror when the doorway filled with overzealous flames followed quickly by golden sparks.

.

"Idiot! What part of I go in first didn't you understand!" Neirah's cheeks warmed with the sound of Laxus' voice moments before he pitched Natsu back down the hallway by the back of his shirt.

.

"Who said you could come in at all!?" Gajeel fumed, rising from his chair once more, only to have Neirah help him to sit back down before he toppled over again.

.

"Neirah!" Happy wailed in relief, flying to her side.

.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" Wendy cooed anxiously, giving her a tight hug.

.

"Yes. I too am relieved to see you conscious again." Lily agreed from Carla's side, his paws folded over his chest and a welcoming smile on his lips. "You gave us quite a scare."

.

"Wendy worked really hard to help the healing process after you'd fallen unconscious," Mirajane assured her softly as the three male dragon slayers duked out their differences in opinions. She smiled with a soft laugh. "If it weren't for all her help, I can't imagine what kind of recovery you would have had to face."

.

"Thank you so much, Wendy." Neirah murmured softly, seeing her overly ambitious young self in the girl's bashful expression.

.

"It was nothing, really!" Wendy assured her. "I'm just so glad you're ok!"

.

"See Natsu? I told you she'd be fine." Neirah whirled her attention around to where Gray, Erza and Lucy entered the room; followed closely by Cana and Juvia.

.

"Gray..." She smiled at the thought. 'That's right... when my father dispelled my attack to counter, Gray was the one who stepped in and saved me.'

.

"My dear Shadow, Juvia is so glad to see that you are awake!" Neirah laughed softly and returned the grateful embrace that Juvia offered her, the wailing water wizard's bosom stifling as she was crushed against it. "You are lucky that my darling Gray and I were there to stop that foul beast from harming you any further. Juvia is so sorry that we were late! But Juvia couldn't decide what to wear! He's always watching you know; Juvia must always dress to impress!"

.

Neirah's expression dimmed with her wandering thoughts and shortening of breath. "I'm glad to see you too Juvia, but please... you're smothering me..." She whimpered weakly as the life faded from her body.

.

"Now you know how I feel..." Gray rumbled as Juvia's affectionate ring expanded.

.

She warmed with her memories of Juvia before and after Fairy Tail. 'This place brings out the best in everyone...' She turned her head to where Gajeel battled for a nonexistent cause, ready to skin the next man to dare so much as acknowledge his sister's presence. Her brow furrowed softly as she listened to Juvia swoon over Gray's heroic save, thanking him repeatedly for saving Shadow's life. "And I could have sworn there was-"

.

"I'm delighted to see you've made a full recovery." Loki mewled elatedly as he took a hold of Neirah's hand. Gajeel and Laxus stilled from where they were bantering when their enemy became mutual. "If you ever need me again, my beautiful exotic queen, just-"

.

"Bad kitty!" Lucy snarled darkly, waving Leo's key through the air, freeing a very pale Neirah from a very awkward situation. "That's just about enough out of you!"

.

"Hey! Bring him back here!" Gajeel growled vehemently.

.

"He's in for a serious ass kickin'…" With Laxus' added comment, their attention turned back to each other and the sparks flew.

.

Gray laughed and threw his hand up onto Natsu's shoulder. "Great news! Now you can stop cryin' and start getting ready for the Grand Magic Games." Gray teased harshly.

.

"Hey! I was _not_ cryin'!" Natsu wailed in defence. "Laxus is the one that wouldn't stop whining about not being able to be with 'er!"

.

"Oh yeah?!" Gajeel roared angrily.

.

"Tch, it may have inconvenienced me once or twice." Laxus mused casually, folding his arms over his chest. "I had some questions for the kid, and no one to answer them." He didn't flinch when Gajeel took a hold of his collar and raked him within threatening boundaries.

.

"Them questions better not be what I think they are you sleazy son-of-a-bitch…" Gajeel hissed venomously. "You stay the hell away from my kid sister or you'll be takin' her place in this room." He warned sadistically.

.

"Scary!" Happy whined in panic.

.

"Look, I've got no interest in your bratty little sister." He fibbed, brushing Gajeel off to join her side. "And in case you didn't notice, she could probably put me in here herself if I pissed her off." He cast a warm steel gaze her way along with his affectionate smile. "So I think I'll be keepin' my hands to myself... for now at least." She wrinkled her nose and tried to hide her embarrassed smile, knowing full well that his bluff was far from sincere.

.

"Well?! Come on Shads! Get up! We gotta get back to training for the Grand Magic Games!" Natsu demanded feverishly. He slammed both of his fists into the air in sequence as he punched out with his enthusiastic rant. "With those new powers of yers, there's no way in hell we're gonna lose! We'll beat em' all to a bloody pulp! Heh hehhh!"

.

"Get real Natsu!" Levy defended in alarm. "Shads is in no condition to fight! She can barely sit up!"

.

"Yea Natsu!" Lucy added heatedly. "That battle almost killed her and she's been through a lot! Sheesh, try to show a little compassion, why don't you!"

.

"But you are gonna come out and watch, right Shads?" Levy questioned excitedly.

.

Neirah wiggled in one place sheepishly fiddling with her blankets. "Actually... I-I don't know if I can." She assured the girls gently. She threw her hand up behind her head and laughed through her uncertainty. "Guys, I had a hard enough time sitting up without help and I don't really think walking will be in the question for a while."

.

"What? No way..." Lucy whined softly. "So, you're going to miss it...?"

.

"Don't worry about me!" Neirah assured them softly, ignorant of Gajeel's worrisome gaze silently promising not to leave her side, magic games or not. "Fairy Tail is the greatest guild ever and has the strongest and bravest group of wizards as its members. The whole world needs to know that." She assured them sternly, pumping her fist with enthusiasm. "Make them know it for me!"

.

"You got it!" Lucy agreed, mimicking her gesture.

.

"We won't let you down, Shads!" Levy assured her giddily.

.

"I must say, you had me worried."

.

Neirah turned her head quickly to where Master Makarov slowly approached the side of her bed nearest the door, the room growing silent around them upon his entry.

.

"Master..." She breathed out, bowing her head apologetically. The silence of the others broke her heart with the realisation that she'd been responsible for all the ill will that had befallen the guild and the master's grandson as of late. What she didn't know was how she could justify asking forgiveness when she couldn't even forgive herself. "I won't ask for your forgiveness but just for a moment of your time to offer my sincerest apolo-" She flinched when he put his hand on her shoulder with the warmest of smiles.

.

"I'm glad you let them bring you home..." He assured her softly, coaxing appreciative smiles from all observing parties. Tears of utter joy rained down from her bright blue eyes as she observed her supportive family, cheering and bantering like fools.

.

"T-thank you, Master." She whimpered softly, sputtering in disbelief. "I p-promise I'll do e-everything I can to make it up to the guild!" Makarov fled backwards in alarm and threw his arms up in defence.

.

"Uh oh, tears? I-I'm sorry, please don't cry!" He hurried out in panic. "Laxus comfort her!"

.

"Awe, come on! You know I'm no good at-"

.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Gajeel raged venomously, lunging back through the crowd to pry himself between Neirah and Laxus.

.

"Jeez, gramps! What're you doing making her cry in the first place?!" Gray added dimly.

.

"You most certainly are a credit to your dragon slaying brethren," Erza assured her proudly with a soft laugh. Neirah turned to where Erza and Cana were approaching. "I should have no problem keeping this rowdy bunch in line with your help."

.

"Thank you, Erza." She murmured softly, speaking more deeply than the others might have understood.

.

Erza's expression warmed and she offered her an affectionate, reassuring smile. "He may have done the world great evil, but he was still your father... The magic council will decide his fate. I've already reported his location to them."

.

Neirah's heart swelled with the warmth and companionship she'd found. "How did you know where to find us?" She inquired curiously.

.

"Well, I had suspicions after hearing some leaked information nearby about two mysterious wizards visiting with the council not long before. So, Lucy, Gray, Juvia and I went to speak with the magic council about Marionette's threat. One of the Oracion Seis was also rumoured to be one of the dragon slayers attacked to complete the ritual Karua had forced on you." Neirah's brows furrowed curiously as she listened to the story being told. "While visiting him, we happened by another familiar pestilence."

.

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Heeheehee… So, I see Karua is just as ambitious as ever."_

 _._

 _Erza whirled around with a startled gasp to face the prison cell behind them._

 _._

 _"_ _How delightful."_

 _._

 _"_ _Who said that?!" Gray demanded bitterly._

 _._

 _"_ _Wait… That's Master Jose!" Erza exclaimed in astonishment._

 _._

 _"_ _Ah! So not cool!" Lucy panicked, leaping behind Erza for defence._

 _._

 _"_ _Juvia, I see you've fallen far since the disbanding of Phantom Lord."_

 _._

 _"_ _Do not be ridiculous." She murmured enthusiastically, sweeping her hand through the air to dismiss his comment. "Gajeel and Juvia are right where we belong."_

 _._

 _"_ _Ah yes… How is dear Blacksteel Gajeel these days?" A chill crawled down her spine with his sinister chuckle. "In good health, I hope?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Silence! That man you spoke of is Neirah's father!" Erza demanded in authority. "Tell us what you know about Karua!"_

 _._

 _"_ _Everything." Jose mocked from the safety of his prison. "Karua and I, well, we go way back…"_

 _._

 _"_ _Well, then you'd better start talkin' before I start droppin' the temperature of that cell of yours!" Gray warned him rashly as he drove his hand into his palm._

 _._

 _"_ _You can talk to me all you want, but not even Gajeel can protect the child now." He assured them certainly. "In fact, if you're here; chances are pretty good it's already too late for them. They have quite a hate on for each other; Gajeel and my. old. friend."_

 _._

 _"_ _Why you-" Gray snarled bitterly._

 _._

 _"_ _Gray, my darling, we don't have time for this." Juvia assured him softly._

 _._

 _"_ _He's bluffing!" Gray denied energetically._

 _._

 _"_ _I'm afraid it's all true…" Juvia cooed softly. "Shadow and Juvia met while Juvia was still a member of Phantom Lord. Her father and Master Jose met often… Not even Gajeel knew."_

 _._

 _"_ _Ah, so you were eavesdropping, were you?" Jose chimed in._

 _._

 _"_ _Enough!" Erza demanded, drawing her sword and shoving it through the bars towards Jose. "Tell me where they've taken Neirah! Tell me what her father has to do with the dark guild Marionette!" She stilled with the wicked twist in Jose's grin as he glared back at them defiantly._

 _._

 _"_ _Everything…"_

.

* * *

.

"It was easy for me to tell from there that Karua was actually the mastermind behind Marionette's plans," Erza concluded gently. "So, we simply returned to the guild in search of him and were lucky enough to run into the rest of you there."

.

"Jeez you two, lighten up!" Cana mused eccentrically. "Enough with all this depressing crap already!" Cana finally decided to join her on the bedside to lighten the mood with an overzealous drop, winking in her direction as she displayed an encouraging thumb up. "So! How does it feel to come home to crazy?!" Cana laughed out enthusiastically, narrowly ducking as Natsu was tossed over her head. Neirah beamed with happiness as she watched her family cheer for her recovery and she threw her hands around Cana's shoulders with a delighted smile.

.

"There's no place I'd rather be..." She whispered with her final diamond tear.

.

Cana laughed gutturally and snuggled into Neirah's generous bust. "Ah! My two best friends!" She purred, smothering Neirah with unrequited affection. She rocked her face from side to side between the peaks, before tugging down Neirah's collar to expose that her Fairy Tail insignia had been reinstated. "HYAH! And look who got their guild mark back!" She celebrated. "And they totally got bigger, Nei." She demanded excitedly, pressing the mounds together with a delighted smirk.

.

"C-Cana!" Neirah demanded frantically. "Wait… you don't think so, do you?"

.

"Not here!" A blushing Gajeel fumed, flying across the bed to pry Cana out of Neirah's breasts. Cana growled beneath Gajeel's palm as one of her exposed eyes spied that Gajeel's other hand was pressed against Neirah's bosom.

.

"This feels a tad inappropriate…" Neirah crooned softly.

.

"This convo got awkward _real_ fast…" Gray murmured in dismay.

.

"Love rival!" Cana wailed, slugging Gajeel off the bed and onto the floor.

.

Laxus snickered lowly to himself as Gajeel peeled his exhausted body off the floor and sat at the lightning dragon's feet. "Sure, _she_ can touch 'em but I'm a pervert."

.

"Keep your hands where I can see 'em, pretty boy!"

.

"Y'know, if I held them just right, I bet you could see everyth-"

.

Natsu roared enthusiastically as Gajeel clobbered Laxus into a heap of sparks and iron, every intent on joining the fray. "YEAAHH! Celebration fight!"

.

"Any excuse to start a brawl…" Lucy groaned in brooding.

.

The innocent parties remaining silenced as Neirah threw her arms up in the air with a delighted screech. "I LOVE this GUILD!"


	13. Epilogue

**The Unseen**

 **Epilogue**

.

.

Neirah smiled, her bandaged figure watching silently out her hospital window as she lingered silently in her room. She'd had more visits that she could count in the last couple of days and if she thought it was possible, she would have insisted that all the tight hugs she received were hindering her recovering time.

.

Her face flushed with affectionate heat. She had never been so overwhelmed with love and compassion before. Sure, she'd had Gajeel by her side for some bleak days in her life, but it wasn't just Gajeel taking her side in the battle against Marionette and their cruelty. It was her entire guild.

.

Her true family…

.

She startled from her thoughts when a gentle knock came at her hospital room door. "It's open." She cooed sweetly, expecting Mirajane's smiling face to greet her when it opened.

.

It wasn't.

.

Neirah didn't hiss with the pain her actions caused her when she dropped her head into an immediate bow. "Master."

.

Makarov sighed sadly as he invited himself into her room and silently closed the door behind him. "I must say that of all the wizards I have seen come through this guild in my time, you have to be the most respectful by far." He stood at her bedside with a weathered smile. "Natsu would have thrown something at me and demanded discharge papers by now."

.

Neirah smiled and turned her sheepish gaze to her fiddling fingers in her lap. "Not me, sir. I'm ok staying here until I'm better at least."

.

Makarov took a seat in the chair by her side in the still room. "Our team this year in the Grand Magic Games has been sent to Crocus for the event," he assured. "It is a shame that you won't get to witness their participation."

.

"In truth, sir, I've never been to the games, not even in years past." She admitted solemnly. "If my brother wasn't there to cheer for, it meant little to me."

.

"But you were a part of this guild. Didn't you want to cheer on your fellow wizards?"

.

Neirah gently shook her head. "To be honest, I may have had the mark, but I didn't spend much time with the guild… It was sentimental, more than anything. It made me feel closer to him."

.

"I don't think anyone can deny how close you are to Gajeel, not after what has transpired in the last few weeks." Makarov looked back at her warmly. "Because of this, he was here while I was choosing a team to send to Fiore's capital for the games."

.

"I'm sorry, sir…"

.

Makarov offered a kind laugh. "It isn't your fault that he worries," he assured her. "It's what big brothers do. But when I approached him earlier today with the invitation to join the second team, he denied me."

.

Neirah's gaze widened with the hitching in her breath. "A second team? You can submit two teams to the games?"

.

Makarov closed his eyes in a sunny smile as one thumb and forefinger twisted the end of his moustache. "Fairy Tail has a reputation to uphold. We don't always bend to the black and white." He smiled back at her. "Juvia agreed to it rather quickly despite your attendance in question, but Gajeel didn't seem so sure."

.

Neirah grinned her assurance. "When he comes to visit me tonight I'll be sure to drop a bug in his ear, sir." She turned her gaze back to her window. "There is no need for him to cling to me here. I'm just resting. There's nobody left to hurt me… He should be out honouring the guild with the rest of you." Her heart swelled with affection. "Nothing would make me happier than knowing he's out there doing his very best for someone other than me…"

.

"Well, I hope you can talk him into it. He is a very capable wizard, although a little hard to manage."

.

Neirah openly laughed. "I'm afraid that is an understatement."

.

"Well, even if you manage to convince him to compete, he was a little strained on being teamed up with Laxus."

.

Neirah grew silent as the rivalry was mentioned, something Makarov was uncannily privy to.

.

"There seems to be quite a rivalry there. I don't suppose you've noticed?"

.

Neirah gave him a cynical smirk. "I wouldn't concern yourself about it too much," she mused. "My brother would hate a tree that looked at me the wrong way. The tree doesn't have to have an interest. It's another dismissable trait that comes with being a big brother."

.

"Well, Laxus has been known in the past to have hungry eyes."

.

Outside Neirah's hospital room, Laxus slammed his palm up against his brow to cover for the flush in his cheekbones. 'Fucking old man…'

.

"I don't mind," Neirah murmured, a soft smile on her lips. The gentle confession made Laxus still and listen more intently. "See, sir, I met your grandson a long time ago…" She whispered tenderly, forcing Laxus' ears to burn in hopes that she might explain where he was to know her from. "The picture I gave you before you left for the island… I didn't imagine that was how he looked… I drew him how I wanted to see him the day we met."

.

'Picture…?' Laxus considered curiously. 'Of me?'

.

Makarov listened to her carefully, his suspicions confirmed. "And how was that?"

.

Neirah didn't try to hide her bashful affection when she raised her gaze to meet Makarov's. "Happy…"

.

Laxus' heart sank in his chest, the weight churning his stomach.

.

Neirah turned away from the master, drawing in the deep breath that filled her with Laxus' scent outside the room. "When I met him, he looked so lonely… I didn't know if I'd ever see him again, but I tried." She laughed awkwardly. "I even asked Gajeel to try and find him too. But it wasn't for me…" She cocked her head to one side as she turned to face Makarov again. "I just wanted someone to be his friend. Someone to be there when he just needed to smile."

.

Makarov stared with glossy eyes to where Neirah's sincerity pierced him.

.

"I know now that he has lots of friends," Neirah whispered sweetly. "But I guess the cause kind of stuck. I never forgot how lonely he looked that day… I never forgot… how badly I wanted to see his smile."

.

"After all you've been through…" Makarov murmured in a hoarse voice, tears threatening his tired eyes. "To remain so kind…"

.

Neirah humbled her smile as she stared into her lap sheepishly. "It was just a silly girl's dream…" She admitted bleakly. "I know we bicker a lot, but when he's teasing me, it makes him smile. It reminds me of that time we met… and the happiness it brought me."

.

 _"_ _You are a kind heart, Neirah… You will go far in this world."_

.

Neirah's eyes widened and immediately filled with tears as Makarov spoke the words; her ears ringing with Ryverika's similar statement. "I…" She clasped her hand to her mouth to stifle her whimpers as her tears started to fall. "H-he's gone… Ryverika… I'm so sorry…"

.

Makarov's brow creased in sadness as he watched her suffer. "I'm sorry, Neirah…"

.

"Karua, he – They took his life… I woke up… his blood… it was everywhere…"

.

"You have been through a lot… to remain so gentle after what you've been through, it's a blessing in disguise."

.

"Ryverika… he… he taught me to respect every little thing around me. Birds, trees, things you don't take the time to notice if you're not looking for them. He believed that humans were the greatest of all creatures. Capable of evolving, becoming better than they were yesterday." She turned her drowned expression to Makarov. "I want to be better than I was yesterday… even if it hurts…"

.

"And you would forgive humans their transgressions in order to do this…?"

.

Neirah was a little confused as to why he made it sound like humans weren't in present company. "I-I would…" She agreed shakily, certain, but helpless in a fit of tears. "It's what Ryverika would have wanted…"

.

Makarov heaved a gentle sigh and slowly climbed to his feet. "I pray you always believe so." He concluded tenderly. "I am leaving for Crocus this afternoon with Mira and the others. "If Gajeel changes his mind-"

.

"I'll send him right away, sir." Neirah murmured sweetly, wiping her tears from her face.

.

"If you should feel up to it, I encourage you to join us as well." He extended in invitation. "I'm sure it would make your brother all the more terrifying a force to be reckoned with."

.

Neirah matched his smile appreciatively. "I promise you he'll be the fiercest dragon the games have ever seen."

.

Laxus scoffed bitterly outside the doorway. "Not if I can help it…"

.

"Rest well, Neirah," Makarov added on parting. "I hope to see Fairy Tail's Shadow in the stands cheering for her big brother and all the other wizards who risked everything to bring you home."

.

She nodded sternly with a small smile. "Right."

.

Makarov smiled as he let himself out of her room, no surprise that his grandson was lingering just on the other side of the door. Makarov waited for the knob to click shut before his smile was fading. "It's a real shame that you can't seem to recall meeting this girl," he murmured gently. "She is absolutely enraptured with you."

.

Laxus didn't bother raising his gaze. He remained up against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. He wanted to snap back at the old man, but he could admit that even he didn't expect the words to make it past her lips.

.

"She is a beautiful young woman," Makarov started slowly, turning to face him. "Tell me that's all you see."

.

Laxus flinched, his bemused gaze falling on his grandfather suspiciously. "Tsk, you're kidding, right?" He near growled. "Sounds like you're just setting me up to be the heartless j-"

.

"Laxus, I need you to understand something and I don't care to repeat myself." Makarov encouraged strictly. "Neirah is a danger to this guild, of this, I am finally certain. It is true that the ritual Karua attempted failed, but the reasons for which it did have the possibility of becoming worse than if he had succeeded."

.

"You can't be serious." Laxus defended passionately. "I mean, look at her! She's just a kid! She cares more about-" He paused with a sentimental hitch in his breath. "She cares more about a damn smile and that brother of hers than she does her own life."

.

"Neirah is unaware of the dangers of which I speak…" Makarov assured him sincerely. "The longer she remains unaware, the longer she will be welcomed in this guild."

.

Laxus' expression dropped in sheer disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." He snarled. "You'd seriously fucking throw her out! After all she's been through?!"

.

Makarov started slowly down the hall. "I would do what I must…" He whispered certainly. "I was not here to welcome Neirah into this guild, and if I had of been, she may never have had the chance to see that smile she so avidly clung to." He bowed his head sadly. "My children are my priority. I will keep a close eye on this girl, but if she should become aware of her situation, I need you to understand that I can't allow her to remain here with Fairy Tail."

.

Laxus was left in bewildered silence as he watched his grandfather walk away. He couldn't fight the uncertain terror rising within him for the foreboding underlying of Makarov's message. For something to cause Fairy Tail's mighty guild master to sweat, it must have been grave indeed.

.

"Neirah wanted to be your friend," Makarov continued solemnly, turning to face Laxus with a disdainful crease in his regretful expression. "See to it that that's all it ever is."

.

With his final warning, Makarov continued down the hallway and disappeared out of sight. It took a while of lingering in silence before Laxus realised that his hand was shaking so furiously at his side that he was afraid it'd gone numb with the pressure. He hated not knowing, and what was worse, he hated being told what to do.

.

What not to do.

.

He could admit that he'd felt some endearment towards the woman for showing him a tenderness he wasn't used to, but it certainly wasn't love.

.

Yet…

.

Hearing her speak so fondly of him, so tenderly of the purpose she had for searching him out again, it wrenched his heart. It might have been that she didn't really know him yet, know what he was capable of… the things he'd done. He was certain that could be the only reason she held him in such high regards. He thought, maybe, he should challenge her ideals; show her the kind of secrets he kept inside.

.

Would she still believe in him?

.

He laid his hand on the doorknob, trying to figure out whether he wanted to blatantly defy his grandfather's grim warning. What if it was possible for him to fall in love with her?

.

And if he did?

.

Neirah's heart skipped a beat when she heard the rustling of the doorknob to her room, her wide gaze shifting startled to where she expected to be joined by the company on the other side. A part of her even allowed herself to believe that that company could be Laxus.

.

She sighed softly when nothing came of the twist in the handle. She remained alone and silent in her hospital bed. "I must be hearing things…" She thought gently, her lips curling into a delicate smile as she looked down to where she fondled the silver chain on the Fairy Tail bracelet her brother had given her seven years before. "Oh well…"

.

* * *

.

Laxus stuffed his hands in his pockets so fiercely as he left the hospital, he thought he'd put his fists right through his pants. "Idiot…" He murmured gently to himself. "Letting the old man fuck with your head…" He closed his eyes, clamping his teeth bitterly as he stood in one spot and meditated on his thoughts. 'If I find out you're bluffing, there'll be hell to pay…'


End file.
